The knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup began on Sunday June 28. And she has already offered several tense scenarios, sometimes cruel for the favorites. With this 23rd edition organized jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States, the new 48-team format adds an additional round and multiplies the pitfalls. The first matches played confirmed this trend.
Many surprises
The presence of 48 teams in this tournament changed the rhythm of the competition, with the appearance of the round of 16. One more round, therefore, and more opportunities to see the favorites being shaken up.
The round of 16
This additional turn was fatal to Germany, trapped by Paraguay. After being behind, the Mannschaft managed to equalize without however managing to take the advantage. She finally lost on penalties after three failures. England and Brazil also had to fight to get rid of the DRC and Japan respectively. Argentina, the defending champion, even had to go through overtime to overcome Cape Verde. To follow the evolution of the favorites and get an idea of the forces involved, find all the odds and predictions from Unibet for the 2026 World Cup, the No. 1 in football odds*.
The round of 16
The difficulties displayed by the Seleção in the previous round called for a certain caution against Norway and their formidable scorer Erling Haaland. The latter scored a double, eliminating an unrecognizable and uninspired Brazil. The three host countries also left the competition. Canada suffered the law of Morocco (0-3), while the United States never existed against the Belgian Red Devils (1-4). After valiantly resisting, Mexico lost to England (2-3). Argentina avoided huge disappointment by overthrowing Egypt in the final minutes (3-2), while Switzerland snatched their qualification against Colombia on penalties.
Beautiful posters in perspective
The quarterfinal table is now complete, with several particularly interesting confrontations. They may also be of interest to those who wish to bet on the 2026 World Cup. Two matches will pit European teams, now well represented in the competition: Spain-Belgium and Norway-England. For its part, France will face Morocco, in a poster which will inevitably recall the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup. The last quarter will pit Argentina against Switzerland, after two qualifications won in very different scenarios.
A third star for France?
Do you see the Blues lifting the trophy on the evening of July 19 and are you even ready to bet on the France team? Didier Deschamps’ collective is moving forward with solid arguments. His offensive potential, carried by Kylian Mbappé still well placed in the race for the title of top scorer, seems capable of hurting any defense. The attackers also benefit from the good performances of Michael Olise, valuable in creation since the start of the tournament.
The main question surrounding the France team mainly concerns its defense, which is still rarely put under pressure in this competition. The match against Morocco therefore constitutes a first serious test to better assess French chances. Despite its qualities, France is not alone in the title race. Spain and Argentina remain very serious contenders, even if they have not always completely reassured their supporters. Led by a decisive Harry Kane, England dreams of finally finding successors to the victorious team in 1966.
* Nielsen Sports study on odds, betting (1N2), football — national competitions, UEFA, FIFA and international friendlies — from 01/11/22 to 23/03/26, on 7,573 matches, from Winamax, Betclic, Unibet, Netbet and Parions Sport en Ligne.
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