World Cup bracket: Philadelphia helps kick off a round of 16 that’s full of fireworks

Though this is the first time that a World Cup’s round of 16 is the second knockout round, some of the matchups are loaded with history.

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One of them will take center stage in Philadelphia’s July 4 festivities. France and Paraguay have met twice in World Cups, and both were momentous.

In the 1998 round of 16, La Albirroja held Les Bleus scoreless on home turf for 114 minutes until defender Laurent Blanc scored a sudden-death winner. (Soccer briefly settled games that way, but didn’t for a long time before then and hasn’t for a while.)

In the 1958 group stage, French striker Just Fontaine scored a hat trick in a 7-3 win, on the way to totaling 13 goals in the tournament — still the most goals by one player in one World Cup.

That record could fall this summer, thanks in part to another French superstar. Kylian Mbappé has six goals so far, one behind Lionel Messi’s tournament-leading seven for Argentina. Yes, the extra round helps, but both men are in the all-world category. Not many people will argue if they beat Fontaine’s mark.

Messi’s next chance to score will come Tuesday, when he leads the Albiceleste into Atlanta to face Mo Salah’s Egypt.

Philly fans won’t have to travel far (if they can get tickets) to see one of the round’s most star-studded clashes: Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior vs. Norway’s Erling Haaland on Sunday in New Jersey’s Meadowlands.

Strangely, the five-time World Cup champion Seleçao have never beaten the Vikings in three friendlies and one World Cup meeting. Norway pulled off a 2-1 upset in the 1998 group stage.

Monday’s Portugal-Spain showdown in suburban Dallas will have the most rivalry spice. The next-door neighbors have met 41 times dating back to 1921, but just twice in World Cups: the 2010 round of 16 and the 2018 group stage. We’ll see if this round of 16 game sends Spain on the same path it followed in 2010 to its first World Cup title.

Finally, we come to the games that will matter most in our part of the world. All three co-hosts are still alive, but they all face big tests.

Canada goes first on Saturday, facing Morocco in Houston. The Atlas Lions made the 2022 semifinals, and are looking sharp again this summer.

Then comes an all-time Sunday night on this continent’s most famous soccer stage. Mexico, fresh off its first knockout win since the last World Cup it hosted in 1986, hosts England at the Estadio Azteca.

While there’s no question that the Three Lions have the better talent, they’ve never played at anything like Mexico City’s 7,220-foot altitude. Will that plus a deafening home crowd propel El Tri to a famous win?

Finally, there’s the world’s version of Monday Night Football in Seattle. The U.S. men play the biggest game in program history when they face Belgium, trying to win two knockout games in one World Cup for the first time. It’s the game so many people have dreamed of for years, and now it’s finally here.

All games are televised on Fox29 in English and Telemundo 62 in Spanish. All times listed are local to Philadelphia.

1 p.m.: Canada vs. Morocco in Houston

5 p.m.: Paraguay vs. France in Philadelphia

4 p.m.: Brazil vs. Norway in East Rutherford, N.J.

8 p.m.: Mexico vs. England in Mexico City

3 p.m.: Portugal vs. Spain in Arlington, Texas

8 p.m.: United States vs. Belgium in Seattle

Noon: Argentina vs. Egypt in Atlanta

4 p.m.: Switzerland vs. Colombia in Vancouver, B.C.

4 p.m.: Paraguay or France vs. Canada or Morocco in Foxborough, Mass.

3 p.m.: Portugal or Spain vs. United States or Belgium in Inglewood, Calif.

5 p.m.: Brazil or Norway vs. Mexico or England in Miami Gardens, Fla.

9 p.m.: Argentina or Egypt vs. Colombia or Ghana in Atlanta

3 p.m.: Paraguay, France, Canada, or Netherlands vs. Portugal, Spain, United States, or Belgium in Arlington, Texas

3 p.m.: Brazil, Norway, Mexico, or England vs. Argentina, Egypt, Colombia, or Ghana in Atlanta

5 p.m.: Third-place game in Miami Gardens, Fla.

3 p.m.: Final in East Rutherford, N.J.

Watch the latest episode!

In this World Cup, underdogs are stealing the spotlight, the U.S. men are on a roll, and Philadelphia has not only welcomed the world but has given visitors a crash course on just how real the curse of the Rocky Statue can be.

Join Jonathan Tannenwald, the Inquirer’s soccer writer, and host Lisa Carlin, analyst for CBS Sports Golazo, as they dissect the matches, the moments, and more as Philly has its moment in soccer’s brightest spotlight. Watch our latest episode right here. 

Watch previous episodes:

Episode 1: The Wait is Over! 
Episode 2: Groups, Goals, and Glory
Episode 3: Electric Action in Philly
Episode 4: The Knockout Rounds Begin!

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