It promises to be a blockbuster day today at the World Cup, with two marquee matchups in the Round of 16.
First, it’ll be Vini Jr against Erling Haaland in the early game, as Brazil look to see off upstarts Norway and reach the quarterfinals for the ninth tournament in a row. In fact, only three times in World Cup history have Brazil finished outside the top-eight. (They are the only country to have participated in all 23 World Cup tournaments that have been held.)
And then in the late game, England
try to overcome Mexico’s massive home-field advantage — not just in terms of support, but in terms of the extreme physical altitude of the Azteca (sitting 2241m/7352ft above sea level). That’s not going to be easy, to say the least; Mexico have only ever lost two competitive matches at the stadium out of the 89 they’ve played there since it opened in 1966.
So, who will join Morocco (who dispatched Canada, 3-0) and France (who eventually broke Paraguay’s resistance to win 1-0) in the last eight?
BRAZIL vs. NORWAY
It’s not been an easiest tournament for Brazil, but with much of the focus on the likes of France and Argentina, they’ve also flown a little bit under the radar. And in the Round of 32 they proved that they can win even without Vini having to score all the goals.
Norway meanwhile continue to ride Erling Haaland, who’s just about as inevitable as any goalscorer ever in the modern game. If the rest of the team can contain Brazil, they may yet surprise.
Date / Time: Sunday, July 5, 2026, 4pm EDT; 9pm BST
Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USA
Referee: Ismael Elfath (USA)
On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); ITV 1 (UK); elsewhere
Streaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); ITVx (UK)
MEXICO vs. ENGLAND
Not only have Mexico won all four of their games so far, they’ve done so without conceding even one goal. In the Round of 32, they were expected to run into a strong challenge from Ecuador; instead, the second best South American qualifying team were dispatched with summary ease, much to the delight of the locals.
On the other hand, England have struggled to impress in concerningly long stretches at the tournament, including for much of their Round of 32 game against DR Congo, who led fot most of the game before being undone by a Harry Kane brace in the final fifteen minutes. Better late than never! Reece James is expected to be a game-time decision, and is unlikely to start even if he is passed fit enough to make the matchday squad.
Date / Time: Sunday, July 5, 2026, 8pm EDT; 1am BST (next day)
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK); elsewhere
Streaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)
