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2026 World Cup ball and trophy
By Phil West profile image Phil West
3 min read

World Cup Daily: Matches and storylines for July 2

Spain and Portugal will attempt to qualify for what would be an epic Round of 16 match, while Algeria looks to ward off Wednesday's trend of African teams narrowly losing to European teams.

It's like 2014 all over again.

Thanks to Belgium getting the tournament's first extra-time goal — after being down 2-0 to Senegal in the 85th minute yet tying by the end of the regulation — and thanks to the 2-0 U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina you're no doubt aware of by now, the 2014 Round of 16 matchup is the 2026 Round of 16 matchup.

On Monday, in Seattle, the U.S. will try to propel the dream forward, though without the services of Folarin Balogun, who was sent off with a controversial red card after scoring a goal earlier in the match, being the first player to get both a goal and a red card in a match since France's Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final.

Also of note on Wednesday: Harry Kane scored a brace in the final 16 minutes of regulation to lead England over a DR Congo team that looked, for a while at least, on course for one of the bigger upsets of this World Cup.

Your Thursday of World Cup watching includes a mostly European slate, though Algeria faces Switzerland in the nightcap to continue the recently-emerging Europe vs. Africa trend of Round of 32 matches.

Round of 32

Sunday, June 28

  • Canada 1, South Africa 0 (Canada will play Morocco in Round of 16, July 4, in Houston)

Monday, June 29

  • Brazil 2, Japan 1 (Brazil plays winner of Côte d'Ivoire-Norway in Round of 16)
  • Paraguay 1(4), Germany 1(3) (Paraguay plays winner of France-Sweden in Round of 16)
  • Morocco 1(3), Netherlands 1(2), (Morocco plays Canada in Round of 16, July 4, in Houston)

Tuesday, June 30

  • Norway 2, Côte d'Ivoire 1, (Norway plays Brazil in Round of 16, July 5, in East Rutherford, N.J.)
  • France 3, Sweden 0 (France plays Paraguay in Round of 16, July 4, in Philadelphia)
  • Mexico 2, Ecuador 0 (Mexico plays winner of England-DR Congo in Round of 16, July 5, in Mexico City)

Wednesday, July 1

  • England 2, DR Congo 1 (England plays Mexico in Round of 16, July 5, in Mexico City)
  • Belgium 3, Senegal 2 (Belgium plays United States in Round of 16, July 6, in Seattle)
  • United States 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 (United States plays Belgium in Round of 16, July 6, in Seattle)

Thursday, July 2

  • Spain vs. Austria, 2 pm, Inglewood, Calif. (winner plays winner of Group K runner-up-Group L runner-up in Round of 16)
  • Portugal vs. Croatia, 6 pm, Toronto (winner plays winner of Spain-Austria in Round of 16)
  • Switzerland vs. Algeria, 10 pm, Vancouver (winner plays winner of Group K winner-Group D/E/I/J/L 3rdFr place in Round of 16)

Friday, July 3

  • Australia vs. Egypt, 1 pm, Jerryworld (winner plays winner of Argentina-Cabo Verde in Round of 16)
  • Argentina vs. Cabo Verde, 5 pm, Miami Gardens, Fla. (winner plays winner of Australia-Egypt in Round of 16)
  • Colombia vs. Ghana, 8:30 pm, Kansas City (winner plays winner of Switzerland-Algeria in Round of 16)

Round of 16 (what we know so far)

Saturday, July 4

  • Canada vs. Morocco, noon, Houston
  • Paraguay vs. France-Sweden winner, 4 pm, Philadelphia

Sunday, July 5

  • Brazil vs. Norway, 3 pm, East Rutherford, N.J.
  • Mexico vs. England, 7 pm, Mexico City

Monday, July 6

  • Portugal-Croatia winner vs. Spain-Austria winner, 3 pm, Jerryworld
  • United States vs. Belgium, 7 pm, Seattle

Where to watch

A quick Googling tells me there's an all-day watch party happening at Rustic Tap (613 W. 6th), where Austin FC was announced by a former U.S. international now getting pilloried by Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović nightly.

What to read

All 48 teams' anthems, ranked, with the author coming so close to getting No. 1 right. (Though he positively nails No. 48)

Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.

By Phil West profile image Phil West
Updated on
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