The World Cup has reached the knockout rounds, where you win or you go home. Every player, every team, every fan feels the highest level of pressure when everything is on the line. The drama is immense. It’s why we love the World Cup.
In the knockouts this year, we’ve got tasty matchups like Netherlands vs. Morocco in the round of 32. We could see powerhouses like France and Germany or Spain and Portugal face off in the round of 16. That’s also where the USA hopes to run back into Belgium with revenge on the mind—of course, they have to get through Bosnia and Herzegovina first.
Here’s the thing about knockout rounds: You can’t count your chickens before they hatch. One misstep and you’re cooked. That’s also true of our World Cup knockout quiz. One wrong answer and you’re eliminated from contention for the trophy at the end.
World Cup knockout quiz: Can you reach the final and win it all?
Didn’t make it all the way through? That’s okay, play as many times as you need to become a World Cup knockout quiz champion.
What to watch in the 2026 World Cup knockouts
The World Cup is all sorts of things with massive and miniscule meaning, but in the end it’s just a series of games played between a dwindling set of teams. Only one is left standing at the end. In 2026, figuring out that last one standing is going to be a doozy. With an expanded field, we’ve got a round of 32 for the first time. For fans, that’s more games to enjoy. For teams, that’s more opportunities to get knocked out of the competition.
Early exits and upsets
One of the Netherlands or Morocco won’t make it through the round of 32, which is wild because either of those teams could go on to win it all. By Monday, we’ll know which of those will actually still be around to try.
The rest of the first round is fascinating because there aren’t many other heavyweight matchups. But any fan of March Madness knows that doesn’t mean we’ll see a bunch of favorites moving on. There are bound to be upsets. Could Croatia catch Portugal sleeping? (I don’t doubt it.) Could England let the pressure get to them against DR Congo? (It’s certainly possible.) Is Belgium destined to be humbled by Senegal? (It almost feels probable.) Could Cape Verde pull off the shock of the century against Argentina? (lol no.)
The race for the Golden Boot
Lionel Messi is the GOAT, but he’s 39 years old, and the fact that he’s leading the race for the Golden Boot coming out of the group stage is truly wild. His six goals put him two ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Norway’s Erling Haaland. Any of those superstars could close the gap with a single performance.
The stars have been shining brightly at this World Cup, and we shouldn’t expect that to change in the knockouts.
More World Cup news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google
