What a game last night between Argentina and Cabo Verde in the FIFA World Cup! Super entertaining stuff. Some people said there are too many teams at the World Cup this year, but Cabo Verde have justified the inclusion of 48 nations.
I’ve always believed that there is nothing wrong with more teams getting a shot at the big stage. It’s called a ‘World’ Cup for a reason.
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The round of 32 is a byproduct of the expanded format. And I must say, it delivered some great performances. I’ve been thinking who will stop France and I believe Spain have just raised their hand to that.
I thought Spain were outstanding against Austria. Pedri impressed me the most. Spain and France could meet in the semi-final, if they both win their next two games. And whoever wins that potential match and goes to the final will have a huge chance of winning the FIFA World Cup in my opinion.
But before we get to all that, we have some interesting fixtures to look forward to in the round of 16. On that note, let us dive straight into my predictions for the upcoming round.
Canada vs Morocco
I like Morocco, they are a decent team. Don’t get me wrong, Canada have been great hosts. But I just think this contest is a bit too much for them.
If Morocco win this game, they are in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. That is already a very deep run in my opinion. Imagine reaching the semi-finals and the quarter-finals in back-to-back World Cups? That is something most teams can only dream of.
Ayyoub Bouaddi has been excellent in midfield for Morocco. He’s an outstanding player and I think he will run the show against Canada. This is a good draw from Morocco’s perspective. I don’t expect this to be an easy win but they will get the job done.
Canada can be very proud of what they have achieved at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For a country that’s not a footballing nation, reaching the round of 16 is incredible.
And it’s not like they have no chance in this game either. If Canada play to the best of their abilities and Morocco have an off day, they can win this game. It’s just that I don’t expect it to be that way.
Prediction: Canada 0-2 Morocco
Paraguay vs France
I can’t see anything but a win for France here. It’s almost a certainty. I don’t think Paraguay will get anywhere near in terms of troubling them.
If you talk about a standout team that performs consistently well at the FIFA World Cup, it is France. Teams play low block against them all the time and they still manage to have like 20 shots per game!
Kylian Mbappe has been excellent but the players around him are also a lot stronger now. The only concern I have about France is that they are not great at the back. But since Paraguay do not have the ammunition to hurt them here, they can attack with confidence knowing they are safe at the back.
If I had to choose between Mbappe or Lionel Messi for the golden boot at this stage, I would go with the Frenchman. France look like scoring every time they go forward with the ball and he could add to his tally here. Easy and comfortable win for Les Bleus.
Prediction: Paraguay 0-3 France
Brazil vs Norway
You know what? I’m not a big fan of how Brazil have played so far at the 2026 FIFA World Cup! They were poor against Japan in the first half, but produced an excellent display after the restart, for which they deserve all the credit.
Brazil did everything right to get that late winner against Japan in the round of 32 but I’m not sold on the idea that they are genuine contenders. The good thing for them here is that Norway haven’t been great either.
I don’t think Norway played to Erling Haaland‘s strengths in the last game. The ball wasn’t going into the box often and he looked very frustrated. Norway need to get their captain Martin Odegaard on the ball more often.
I expect Neymar to be on the bench again for this game. If Brazil go 2-0 up and there are just 15 minutes left, I expect a cameo from him. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t get a chance off the bench if that happens.
But will Neymar have the same decisive impact he once had at Brazil? Don’t get me wrong, Carlo Ancelotti did not pick him for nothing. However, there is little evidence to suggest he is still the same player he once was. We haven’t seen enough of Neymar to call for him to be starting games.
Vinicius Jr has been incredible at this World Cup. He is the X-factor for Brazil and they are now constantly looking to get the ball to him. You want big moments from players like Vinicius in tournaments like these and he has delivered them so far.
Even though I’m not a big fan of Brazil, I still think they win this.
Prediction: Brazil 2-0 Norway
Mexico vs England
I’m so worried about this game! If England get through this and face Brazil next, I expect us to beat Brazil. But getting past Mexico is tricky, very tricky.
Not even one of the Mexico players get into the England line-up or even our 26-man FIFA World Cup squad. The quality is not my concern. It’s the altitude at the Azteca Stadium that could be the problem.
If we faced them anywhere in the world apart from the Azteca, we would beat them. But it’s not the same here at this venue. England need to be leading at half-time in this game. If it is 0-0 at the break, we are in trouble.
I remember how Czech Republic did well against Mexico in the first half of their group stage clash and then got smashed after the interval. So England need to be careful here.
I believe England must play a bit like how other teams have played against us so far in this tournament. We have to make it cagey. If this becomes an end-to-end contest, I can’t see how we win because we don’t have the legs to beat Mexico at the Azteca.
Like I said, this is a tougher challenge than facing Brazil. I’m hoping we somehow get past Mexico. My prediction is purely from the heart, 1-1 at the end of extra-time and England to win on penalties!
In all honesty, if this game goes to extra-time, it is only bad news for England. I just hope we somehow get through in the end.
Prediction: Mexico 1-1 England; England win on penalties.
Portugal vs Spain
I have not been impressed with Portugal and I don’t believe they are in the same class as Spain. Some teams always get found out at this stage of the tournament and I think Portugal will be one of them.
If I’m being very honest, Portugal have flattered to deceive. On paper, they have arguably got the best midfield in the world and yet, they have not dominated any of their games so far at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes are not clicking together.
I have a feeling that Spain’s midfield will rip Portugal into shreds here. Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Mikel Oyarzabal looked excellent in the win over Austria. Konrad Laimer is a good full-back and Yamal was nutmegging him for fun. The lad is just phenomenal and has seemingly found his best form once again.
If Portugal are trailing this game, I expect Roberto Martinez to keep Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch. The Portugal captain has performed better than I expected. That goal against Croatia is huge and will give him confidence.
Even though Ronaldo is nowhere near as good as he once was, he still has the X-factor and the mentality to help Portugal. I just don’t think it will be enough against Spain though.
Prediction: Portugal 0-2 Spain
USA vs Belgium
Belgium are one of the most fortunate teams to be still at the tournament. They were ripped to shreds in the last round by Senegal before that unbelievable comeback.
They deserve credit for the late turnaround, but that result only exposed how bad they are. I’d be shocked if Belgium won this game. Whenever I’ve watched them, I can’t help but notice how pace-less they are. If USA play with the energy they have shown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they will run the legs off Belgium!
It almost feels crazy when I say that because the gulf in class between Belgium and USA has reduced so much at this tournament. I’ve been very impressed by the USA under Mauricio Pochettino and I expect them to reach the quarter-finals, which will be an outstanding achievement.
USA will miss Folarin Balogun, who is suspended due to his red card in the last game. That is the only disadvantage they have in this contest. He likes to run beyond defenders and could have been a massive threat to Belgium. I still think USA have enough to get the win.
Prediction: USA 2-1 Belgium
Argentina vs Egypt
I watched Egypt against Australia and it was one of the worst games at the FIFA World Cup! Even though they won on penalties, Egypt were really poor.
They scored, were terrible after that, missed a sitter and then came close to winning only towards the end of the game, when Patrick Beach made a stunning save for Australia.
Mohamed Salah then scored an incredible ‘Panenka’ penalty in the shootout. Fair play to him for pulling that out when no one expected it. Usually, Salah smashes it into the back of the net. However, he was really clever about it this time and that presence of mind is what makes him a world-class footballer.
But Egypt won’t be good enough to take Argentina to penalties in the round of 16. I expect Argentina to be more professional in this game after what happened against Cabo Verde.
Lionel Scaloni must make a big call on starting with Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez. It all depends on who he thinks will have the best chemistry with Lionel Messi on the pitch.
A lot of managers would like to have someone like Alvarez on the bench, especially when things are not going well. In terms of ability, Alvarez is better than Martinez. But he may just be better suited to coming off the bench because he can turn things around if it’s not working out for Argentina.
Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Egypt
Switzerland vs Colombia
Switzerland have done well at this tournament, but Colombia are simply better. I said it before the start of the tournament, Colombia are dark horses. They go for goals, play at a high tempo and break at pace quite decisively. I’m sure that makes them a major threat to any team!
Luis Diaz has been excellent but the player that has surprised me is James Rodriguez. I didn’t think he will have such a huge impact at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. I thought his selection was more like a token of gratitude for what he did for Colombia over the years but my god, he has been brilliant.
Switzerland are very mechanical and efficient but I don’t think they have enough in their tank to beat Colombia. If you look beyond the favorites like France, Argentina, Spain and even England, Colombia are the best team out there. They can upset anybody and I fully expect them to progress to the quarter-finals.
Prediction: Switzerland 1-2 Colombia
Edited by Paul Merson
