Istanbul / Ahmed Hassan / Anadolu

The Moroccan and Egyptian national teams enter the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup carrying the hopes of Arab fans in the 23rd edition of the tournament, amid ambitions to continue the Arab presence in the advanced rounds and write a new chapter of history against heavyweight opponents.

After the conclusion of the round of 32, which saw the elimination of several top contenders, the battle for the title is now confined to 16 teams, each aiming to reach the podium in a stage that raises the motto 'no room for error'.

The first knockout round witnessed many surprises, most notably the exits of four-time world champion Germany and the Netherlands, after losing to Paraguay and Morocco respectively via penalty shootouts.

While the Moroccan team continues its journey with confidence after eliminating the Netherlands, Egypt reaches the round of 16 for the first time in its history, after overcoming Australia on penalties, setting up a meeting with defending champion Argentina in a match considered one of the tournament's toughest tests.

Meanwhile, major teams secured their spots in the round of 16, led by Spain and France, who achieved comfortable wins in the round of 32, while England, Argentina, Portugal, and Brazil had to endure tough matches to secure qualification.

Morocco / Canada

The Moroccan team kicks off the Arab dream in the round of 16 against Canada, one of the tournament's host nations, on Saturday evening at Houston Stadium in the United States, in a match whose outcome is difficult to predict, although the technical advantage leans towards the 'Atlas Lions'.

The Moroccan team enters the match with high morale, after eliminating the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32, confirming the continuity of its strong presence since its historic achievement in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when it reached the semifinals for the first time in the history of Arab and African teams.

Canada is expected to face a tough challenge against Morocco, which has not suffered any defeat in the tournament so far, and the Canadian team will not fully benefit from home advantage and crowd support since the match is being held in the United States.

In contrast, the 'Atlas Lions' are distinguished by their ability to control possession and have various solutions to penetrate opponents' defenses, whether through the flanks or from deep, thanks to the high technical skills of their players.

Morocco hopes to overcome Canada and reach the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the match between France and Paraguay scheduled for Sunday.

Argentina / Egypt

On the other side of the Arab dream, the Egyptian team faces a heavyweight test against Argentina, the defending champion led by star Lionel Messi, on Tuesday at Atlanta Stadium, in a historic match for the Pharaohs.

Egypt has reached this stage for the first time in its World Cup history, after overcoming Australia on penalties in the round of 32, giving its fans new hope to continue the journey, despite the difficulty of the task against one of the top title contenders.

Egypt has players capable of making a difference, led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, along with great ambition that could make it a tough opponent for Argentina, especially since knockout matches often favor the most disciplined and resilient teams.

As for Argentina, they seek to continue their title defense after winning in Qatar 2022, but they did not easily pass the round of 32, needing extra time to overcome Cape Verde, a first-time World Cup participant, with a 3-2 scoreline.

The 'Albiceleste' seems in a relatively comfortable position in terms of the draw, having avoided facing top contenders until the semifinals, if they manage to get past the next two stages.

The winner of the Argentina-Egypt match will face the qualifier from the Switzerland-Colombia match, scheduled for Tuesday at BC Place Vancouver, in a seemingly balanced encounter between two teams with different tools.

France / Paraguay

Away from Arab presence, attention turns to the match between France and Paraguay, scheduled at Philadelphia Stadium, where the theoretical advantage lies with France.

France has shown strong performances in the tournament so far, reaching the round of 16 without any defeat, and boasts a star-studded squad both in the starting lineup and on the bench, along with an attack featuring Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé.

Paraguay, meanwhile, pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the round of 32 by eliminating Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time.

Brazil / Norway

Brazil enters its match against Norway on Sunday at New York/New Jersey Stadium, aiming to break the curse of European dominance over them in knockout stages, having lost their last six knockout matches against European teams since the 2002 World Cup final.

Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history with five titles, and except for a 1-1 draw with Morocco, they have achieved three consecutive wins over Haiti, Scotland, and Japan, but they face a tough test against Norway led by striker Erling Haaland.

Mexico / England

The winner of the Brazil-Norway match will face the qualifier from the Mexico-England match, scheduled for Monday at Mexico City Stadium, in a strong encounter between the hosts and the English team.

Mexico has put in strong performances so far, reaching this stage after four consecutive wins, and they are the only team, along with France, that has not conceded any goal in the tournament, in addition to the massive home crowd support.

In contrast, England has only performed as expected in their opening match against Croatia, before their level dropped in subsequent matches, especially against DR Congo in the round of 32, when they were on the verge of elimination were it not for Harry Kane's brilliance, who led his country to a 2-1 win.

Portugal / Spain

The Portugal-Spain match, scheduled for Monday at Dallas Stadium, draws significant attention as it features two of Europe's top teams.

The match comes about a year after their meeting in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, where Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, won the title 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regular and extra time.

After a draw with Cape Verde in their opening match, Spain regained balance and achieved three consecutive wins against Saudi Arabia (4-0), Uruguay (1-0), and Austria (3-0), indicating a gradual improvement in their level.

Portugal, on the other hand, did not put in convincing performances in most of their matches, drawing with DR Congo (1-1) and Colombia (0-0), beating Uzbekistan (5-0), before staging a thrilling comeback against Croatia in the round of 32 to win 2-1.

United States / Belgium

The winner of the Portugal-Spain match will face the qualifier from the United States-Belgium match, scheduled for Tuesday at Seattle Stadium, in a match that seems open to all possibilities.