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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 June 30

Will Scandinavia have a representative in the tournament after Tuesday, or will France and Ivory Coast move on? And how will co-hosts Mexico fare against Ecuador in the nightcap?

It was a bad day for traditional colonial powers on Monday.

First, in one of the more anticipated Round of 32 matches, Brazil beat Japan 2-1 on a Gabriel Martinelli stoppage-time goal to advance in a tournament where no one quite knows where they'll finish.

Then, in the most shocking result of the day, Germany lost its first penalty shootout in its storied World Cup history ... to Paraguay, who earlier lost 4-1 to the U.S. and somehow still managed to eke in to the knockout rounds. Paraguay now gets the winner of France-Sweden, part of today's lineup.

Then, in a Round of 32 match that really could have been much further along in the tournament had Morocco been a Pot 1 rather than a Pot 2 team, the Atlas Lions needed a stoppage-time goal from Issa Diop to offset a Cody Gakpo goal 20 minutes earlier. Then, after a sometimes-lackluster extra time sequence, in a penalty shootout for the ages, a literally bloodied Ismail Saibari made his kick after some amazing misses and stops.

Relive it (including the utter anguish of a Morocco fan at the 6:19 mark):

Today, Côte d'Ivoire and Norway start proceedings with a noon kick, then France looks to avoid the colonial elimination trend (though they are playing Sweden), and then Mexico faces Ecuador, with the winner of that Round of 16-worthy match playing either England or DR Congo.

2026 World Cup knockout round bracket

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

  • Côte d'Ivoire vs. Norway, noon, Jerryworld (winner plays Brazil in Round of 16, July 5, in East Rutherford, N.J.)
  • France vs. Sweden, 4 pm, East Rutherford, N.J. (winner plays Paraguay in Round of 16, July 4, in Philadelphia)
  • Mexico vs. Ecuador, 8 pm, Mexico City (winner plays winner of England-DR Congo in Round of 16)

Wednesday, July 1

  • England vs. DR Congo, 11 am, Atlanta (winner plays winner of Mexico-Ecuador in Round of 16)
  • Belgium vs. Senegal, 3 pm, Seattle (winner plays winner of United States-Bosnia and Herzegovina in Round of 16)
  • United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7 pm, Santa Clara, Calif. (winner plays winner of Belgium-Senegal in Round of 16)

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. Côte d'Ivoire-Norway winner, 3 pm, East Rutherford, N.J.

Where to watch

Again, for a France match, you're really just going to have to experience Justine's for yourself once in your life. Also, for the Mexico match, don't forget the Los Verdes party at Hopsquad.

What to read

The Athletic provides some solid analysis of what went wrong for Germany.

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
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