After seven matches at the Round of 32, we now have the next three matchups for July 1, 2026: England vs. DR Congo, Belgium vs. Senegal, and the United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first two matches are first time meetings for the sides involved in those matches, while the lattermost involved teams who haven’t played with each other in eight years.
The matchups of the teams in the last 16 are as follows: Paraguay vs. France, Canada vs. Morocco, and Brazil vs. Norway. Mexico will play one
of England and DR Congo, depending on who wins there. So, how did it go down?
It Congo on like this can it? It can! Okay, maybe not
England and the Democratic Republic of Congo have never played against each other at international level, though DR Congo qualified for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany when they were known as Zaire while England did not qualify. The Three Lions are still hunting for their first World Cup win since 1966, but DR Congo had other ideas when Chancel Mbemba assisted Brian Cipenga for the opening goal. England had never won a match in regulation time after trailing at half-time.
England tried everything they could and came close to equalizing when Harry Kane thought he won a penalty but went away with nothing as the referee decided against awarding it. With only a quarter of an hour left to play in regulation time, the English might go out to a nation who is playing in only their second ever World Cup tournament in over 50 years, but Kane had other ideas.
FC Barcelona signee Anthony Gordon crossed a ball into the box which Kane headed past Lionel Mpasi in the Congolese goal. That gave the English the lifeline they needed, and they finally went ahead with four minutes to go when Kane scored yet again, assisted by Gordon again. England avoid a major slip-up to face Mexico at the Azteca in the last 16.
Déjà vu for Belgium, but in a good way
The second match of the day featured Belgium and Senegal, another fixture wherein neither country has face each other. The Red Devils of Belgium have been rather unfortunate when it comes to the World Cup, with their best finish being a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.
Senegal took control of the match when Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr scored within 25 minutes of each other. The Red Devils of Belgium had chances of their own but had to wait until the 86th minute to get a goal back when Romelu Lukaku squeezed the ball in from a Thomas Meunier cross. Belgium pushed for an equalizer and got it when Youri Tielemans beat two defenders and the goalkeeper to a header to tie the game with a minute left in normal time.
During extra time, both sides couldn’t capitalize on big scoring opportunities. Senegal’s luck ran out when Lamine Camara was deemed to have taken Tielemans down inside the box, for which a penalty was given. Tielemans shot high into the top right corner to seal Belgium’s ticket to the last 16. For those of you who remember a certain game, Belgium went 2-0 down to Japan in the 2018 World Cup but managed to win 3-2 without needing extra time.
Hello, old friend. Long time no see, about 12 years?
That title isn’t about the United States’ last 32 matchup vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, but about the team they’ll face in the next round. The USMNT technically first played against Bosnia in November 1956 when it was still part of Yugoslavia. That match ended in an 8-0 defeat in Melbourne. Against the country known as Bosnia and Herzegovina today, the Stars and Stripes have fared better: a win in 2013, and then a draw followed by a win in 2018.
There was an expectation for the co-hosts to be on top for most of the match, but Bosnia got two big chances in the opening 10 minutes. One of which nearly ended up an “Olimpico”—a goal scored straight from a corner kick—but Matt Freese managed to clear the ball away. The home side nearly went ahead after 32 minutes when Folarin Balogun thought he scored the opening goal when it didn’t count; the linesman saw that he was in an offside position. Balogun won’t be denied as he positioned himself perfectly between two Bosnian defenders to finally score the opening goal before the halftime break.
The home side continued to push for another goal. The best finishes at a World Cup that the Stars and Stripes have ever achieved were a third-place finish in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and a quarterfinal exit in 2002. Bosnia got a bit of a lucky break after Balogun was sent off after over an hour for a challenge on Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović. Despite the extra man, Bosnia couldn’t find a way through. Christian Pulisic scored from an offside position, but Malik Tillman’s free kick was enough to send the USMNT through to the last 16.
Belgium and the United States will face each other in the round of 16 in Seattle for a rematch of the 2014 World Cup showdown between the two teams, ironically in the round of 16.
So, there you have it: heartbreak for DR Congo and Senegal, a valiant effort from both DR Congo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, England overcoming humiliation and a damning statistic, and two old foes in Belgium and the United States reliving their Brazilian matchup is what happened in yesterday’s World Cup matchday. There’s plenty of tasty matches in the coming days so be sure to check those out!
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