New Delhi, 04 July (H.S.):

The stage is set for the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the knockout phase beginning on Saturday. Sixteen teams remain in contention for football's biggest prize, and the eight pre-quarterfinal matches over the next four days will determine the quarterfinal line-up.

Host nations Canada, the United States and Mexico have all secured places in the Round of 16, adding further excitement to the knockout stage.

The opening Round of 16 fixture will be played on July 4 at Houston Stadium, where Canada will face Morocco. The match is scheduled to kick off at 10:30 p.m. IST.

The second fixture will take place on July 5 at Philadelphia Stadium, with Paraguay taking on France. The match will begin at 2:30 a.m. IST.

On July 6, Brazil will meet Norway at the New York-New Jersey Stadium in a match scheduled to start at 1:30 a.m. IST.

Later the same day, hosts Mexico will face England at Mexico City Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 a.m. IST.

On July 7, Portugal and Spain will clash in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the Round of 16 at Dallas Stadium. The match will begin at 12:30 a.m. IST.

Later that morning, the United States will take on Belgium at Seattle Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 5:30 a.m. IST.

The same day, defending champions Argentina will face Egypt at Atlanta Stadium. The match will begin at 9:30 p.m. IST.

The final Round of 16 encounter will be played on July 8 in Vancouver, where Switzerland will take on Colombia. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 a.m. IST.

The winners of these eight knockout fixtures will advance to the quarterfinals and keep their hopes alive of lifting the FIFA World Cup 2026 title.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar