The World Cup knockout stage is finally ready to begin after 72 group matches trimmed the expanded 48-team field down to 32.
Pre-tournament favourites Argentina, France, Spain and England all progressed, but there was also room for a few surprise stories.
Cape Verde reached the knockout stage in their first-ever World Cup after drawing all three group matches. DR Congo also made history by reaching the last 32 for the first time, more than 50 years after their only previous appearance at the finals as Zaire.
Argentina will face Cape Verde on Friday, while DR Congo take on England on Wednesday.
African nations enjoyed one of their strongest World Cup campaigns, as nine of the continent's 10 teams reached the knockout stage.
Europe has 13 teams left in the tournament, South America has five, while Asia is represented by two. Co-hosts Mexico, the United States and Canada are the only North American sides still standing.
Uruguay were the highest-ranked team to miss out after failing to progress from the group stage.
Iran also suffered late heartbreak. Team Melli were seconds away from qualification before Austria's stoppage-time equaliser against Algeria pushed the North Africans into the final qualifying third-place spot.
Only Argentina, France and Mexico won all three of their group matches.
One of the standout last-32 matches sees the Netherlands face Morocco on Monday. The Dutch scored 10 goals during the group stage, while Morocco continued the impressive form that took them to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago.
The race for the Golden Boot is also heating up. Lionel Messi leads the standings on six goals, ahead of Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland, who have all scored four.
England captain Harry Kane is among a group of 10 players on three goals.
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U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, global humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned, calling for an urgent expansion of containment and care measures.
Georgia and the European Union have held their first working-level talks in Brussels following the EU's decision to suspend visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports.
The European Union (EU) has announced an additional €20 million ($22.8 million) in humanitarian assistance for Venezuela after last month's deadly earthquakes, which killed more than 4,700 people.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
IBM has warned that a surge in spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is weighing on its core business, in one of the clearest signs yet of how the AI boom is reshaping the technology sector.
Spain booked their place in the World Cup final with a composed 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, ending the hopes of the tournament favourites and moving within one match of a second World Cup title.
Argentina and England will meet in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final after both sides came through gripping quarter-final ties that were settled in extra time.
South Africa international midfielder Jayden Adams, who helped Bafana Bafana reach the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time, has died at the age of 25.
What began as a fan-created chant just months ago has become one of the defining images of this year's FIFA World Cup, with Norway's "Viking Row" sweeping through stadiums, city streets and social media.
France booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday, as captain Kylian Mbappe overcame a missed penalty to play a decisive role in another dominant display by the two-time world champions.
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