The World Cup 2026 Round of 16 is complete, and the quarter-final lineup is finally set after a Monday, July 6 slate that delivered two more results: Spain’s 1-0 win over Portugal and Belgium’s 4-1 demolition of the USA, joining earlier wins for Norway over Brazil and England over Mexico.
With the bracket now locked in, the tournament heads into its business end with France, Norway, Spain and the USA-Belgium winner on one side, and England, Argentina/Egypt’s side, Mexico’s bracket path and Colombia rounding out the other — setting up a mouthwatering run to the final.
Off the pitch, FIFA confirmed a historic milestone: World Cup 2026 has now been watched or attended by more than 50 million fans, a new record for the tournament, with several host cities also celebrating “full house” attendances well past capacity, including a reported 80,663 at the Norway-Brazil quarter-final decider.
Individual milestones continued to pile up throughout the round. England’s Jude Bellingham became the youngest player in World Cup history to reach 10 career appearances, doing so at just 23 years and 6 days old.
And in front of goal, the race for the Golden Boot has turned into a three-way heavyweight duel: Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi have each now scored seven goals this tournament — the first time in World Cup history that three players have reached that mark in the same edition.
With the group stage and knockout rounds now behind it, World Cup 2026 turns its attention to the quarter-finals, where every remaining side will have a genuine case for lifting the trophy in the tournament’s closing weeks.