Matchday 23 Round-Up: FIFA World Cup 2026™

Matchday 23 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered a series of high-stakes, dramatic encounters in the Round of 32, featuring dramatic penalty shootouts, extra-time survival, and history-making goals.

Key Match Results

• Argentina 3 – 2 Cabo Verde (AET): The reigning champions narrowly escaped a monumental upset against debutants Cabo Verde. Lionel Messi opened the scoring, but Cabo Verde fought back twice—including a spectacular equalizer by Sidny Cabral. An extra-time own goal by Diney Borges ultimately spared Argentina's blushes and kept their title defense alive.
• Australia 1 – 1 Egypt (2 – 4 PSO): Egypt made history by winning their first-ever World Cup knockout stage match. Emam Ashour put the Pharaohs ahead early with a header, but an own goal from Mohamed Hany sent the game into extra time. Egypt eventually triumphed in a tense penalty shootout, with Hossam Abdelmaguid converting the decisive spot-kick.
• Colombia 1 – 0 Ghana: A highly professional display from Colombia secured the final spot in the Round of 16. Jhon Arias scored the match-winner in the 14th minute, while the Colombian defense stood firm to secure their third consecutive clean sheet of the tournament.
• Portugal 2 – 1 Croatia: In a heavyweight battle in Toronto, Cristiano Ronaldo made history by scoring his first-ever World Cup knockout stage goal from the penalty spot. Gonçalo Ramos scored the crucial winner, and Portugal survived late heartbreak when a stoppage-time Croatia equalizer was overturned by VAR for offside.
• Spain 3 – 0 Austria: La Roja cruised into the next round with a dominant display in Los Angeles. Mikel Oyarzabal scored a brilliant brace and Pedro Porro added a header, while the Spanish defense recorded their fifth consecutive tournament clean sheet.
• Switzerland 2 – 0 Algeria: A tactical masterclass in Vancouver saw the Swiss safely progress. Early goals from Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye put Switzerland in complete control before halftime, allowing them to effortlessly manage the tempo through the second half.

Round of 16 Bracket Highlights

With the Round of 32 concluded, the matchups for the Round of 16 are locked in:

• Argentina vs. Egypt
• France vs. Paraguay
• Canada vs. Morocco
• Portugal vs. Spain
• Brazil vs. Norway
• Mexico vs. England
• USA vs. Belgium
• Switzerland vs. Colombia