The World Cup enters its decisive stage!

The wait is over. This July 4, 2026, the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup will begin, a phase where direct matchups will promise emotions to the limit and where every game could be the last for the teams involved.

The great South American challenge: Paraguay vs. France

The match that will open this passionate stage is the duel between Paraguay and France, who will face each other at 6:00 PM (Argentina time) in the city of Philadelphia. According to TN and other media, La Albirroja (the Paraguayan national team) led by Gustavo Alfaro will arrive motivated after a heroic feat: eliminating Germany in the previous phase on penalties (4-3 after a 1-1 draw).

For its part, the French team, captained by Kylian Mbappé and led by Didier Deschamps, will arrive in great form after beating Sweden 3-0. The referee designated for this match will be Ilgiz Tantashev from Uzbekistan. The winner of this match will face the winner between Canada or Morocco in the quarter-finals.

Attention Argentina! The Argentine National Team, coming off a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde with a historic 20th World Cup goal from Lionel Messi, will face Egypt on July 7, 2026 in the city of Atlanta.

Confirmed Round of 16 matchups

DateCity / StadiumMatch
04/07/2026 - 18:00 hs (AR)PhiladelphiaParaguay vs. France
07/07/2026AtlantaArgentina vs. Egypt
07/07/2026 - 17:00 hs (AR)BC PlaceColombia vs. Switzerland
To be confirmedEstadio AztecaMexico vs. England
To be confirmedTo be confirmedPortugal vs. Spain

Sources: Infobae, TN, Río Negro