The teams advancing to the round of 16 at the North and Central America World Cup have been set.
On the 4th (local time), Colombia defeated Ghana in the round of 32 to reach the round of 16 at the North and Central America World Cup. With that, the round of 32 concluded and the round of 16 bracket was completed.
No Asian team advanced to this World Cup's round of 16. Europe sent the most with seven teams, followed by four from South America and three from North and Central America.
Notably, all three co-hosts of this World Cup—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—reached the round of 16. The host-country premium throughout the tournament and the "host advances to the round of 16 jinx" were proven once again.
The North and Central America World Cup round of 16 will be played as follows: on the 5th at 2 a.m., Canada vs. Morocco; on the 5th at 6 a.m., Paraguay vs. France; on the 6th at 5 a.m., Brazil vs. Norway; on the 6th at 9 a.m., Mexico vs. England; on the 7th at 4 a.m., Portugal vs. Spain; on the 7th at 9 a.m., the United States vs. Belgium; on the 8th at 1 a.m., Argentina vs. Egypt; and on the 8th at 5 a.m., Switzerland vs. Colombia.
The big matches drawing the most attention in this round of 16 are Portugal vs. Spain, Brazil vs. Norway, Mexico vs. England, and Egypt vs. Argentina.
On the 7th, Portugal will face Spain, the Euro 2024 champion and top title favorite. Cristiano Ronaldo is widely expected to be appearing in a World Cup for the last time. Spain is led by teenage soccer superstar Lamine Yamal.
Ronaldo produced an iconic moment by scoring a hat trick against Spain in the group stage of the 2018 Russia World Cup to secure a 3-3 draw.
In the July 6 clash between another title contender Brazil and Norway, the question is whether Erling Haaland, one of the world's best strikers, can spring an upset against Brazil's superior squad.
Mexico, which meets England, is aiming to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years since the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
Attention is also on Egypt, with Mohamed Salah, against Argentina, led by Lionel Messi. In this match, Messi could score in a ninth straight World Cup game and reach 21 career goals.
The race for the golden boot continues.
Through the round of 32, Lionel Messi leads the scoring chart with seven goals, followed by Kylian Mbappé (France) with six, and Haaland and Kane with five each. France's Ousmane Dembélé, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, and Brazil's Vinícius Júnior have four apiece.