Cape Verde win hearts despite Argentina defeat, France poised to crush another dream | OneFootball

The first knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is now officially behind us, and some of the hottest contenders have left the tournament.

Germany’s shock exit at the hands of Paraguay remains arguably the biggest upset, while few had expected the Netherlands to bow out this soon.

Despite these mind-boggling outcomes, each of the five pre-tournament favourites, including 2022 finalists Argentina and France, is still in the mix.

History was also made as Egypt came out on top in a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Australia to win their first-ever knockout match at the World Cup, just like co-hosts Canada, who squeaked past South Africa.

Read on as we bring you the latest action from North America.

Cape Verde bow out but make nation proud

Cape Verde’s dream World Cup debut came to an end, but the Blue Sharks gave Argentina a run for their money in one of the most dramatic round-of-16 clashes, leaving the tournament with their heads held high.

Argentina headed into this showdown as clear-cut favourites, but the African minnows refused to go down without a fight, forcing the reigning world champions to dig deep to secure safe passage into the next round.

Once again, Lionel Messi stole the spotlight. One of the best to ever do it cannot stop breaking records on the grandest stages of all, with surprise package Cape Verde the latest team to fall victim to the unstoppable 39-year-old.

Messi broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark, and his landmark 20th World Cup goal was a piece of art. The first touch was delicate, the finish immaculate, as the Inter Miami forward found the net in an eighth consecutive World Cup game.

Little did anyone know how far Argentina would have to go to overcome the tournament debutants.

Bubista’s warriors drew all three matches in the group stage, and they forced this tie into extra time as Deroy Duarte cancelled out Messi’s opener at the start of the second half.

Lisandro Martinez restored Argentina’s lead, but Cape Verde replied through Sidny Lopes Cabral’s incredible strike, only for Diney Borges to seal his team’s fate with an unfortunate own goal in the 111th minute.

Morocco eyeing another quarter-final appearance vs history-chasing Canada

Houston’s NRG Stadium is the venue as Morocco and Canada meet in a repeat of the 2022 World Cup group-stage fixture, which saw the reigning African champions secure a 2-1 victory.

That win formed part of the Atlas Lions’ dream run to the semi-finals, a feat they’ll be keen to either replicate or eclipse this summer, especially after taking a big scalp in the first knockout round.

Despite trailing the Netherlands by a goal in second-half stoppage time, Mohamed Ouahbi’s side sneaked past the European giants on penalties, maintaining their unbeaten record in North America.

Potentially 90 minutes away from reaching back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals, the Moroccans face co-hosts Canada, who left it late to beat South Africa in their first-ever knockout appearance at the most prestigious international tournament.

Stephen Eustaquio slotted home a 92nd-minute winner to set up this revenge-poised tie, with the Maple Leaf seeking their maiden triumph over Morocco after going winless in all four previous meetings between the sides.

While the odds remain heavily stacked against Jesse Marsch’s team here, they can draw confidence from their impressive record in Houston, where they’ve emerged victorious from two of their last three outings.

Losing each of their four World Cup clashes against sides ranked inside FIFA’s top 25 doesn’t bode well, and neither does the fact that they’ve failed to score more than once in six of their last seven tournament matches.

However, if this tournament has taught us anything, it is that no task is insurmountable.

One-way traffic or another miracle?

Paraguay achieved the unthinkable in the round of 32, beating Germany on penalties to deny a heavyweight last-16 clash between France and Die Mannschaft while inching closer towards equalling their best World Cup run.

Los Guaranies advanced to the quarter-finals in 2010, yet they’ll have to stage another epic upset at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field if they are to match that achievement.

Defensive solidity is likely to play a key role, not least because they have scored just once in six previous World Cup knockout outings. That’s not to mention the attacking force standing on the opposite side.

With Kylian Mbappe scoring for fun and Michael Olise setting up his teammates like a prime Zinedine Zidane, France have looked like the tournament’s most dominant side so far.

Les Bleus brushed Sweden aside in the previous knockout round on the back of Mbappe’s third brace in North America, becoming the first side in World Cup history to score at least three goals in five consecutive games.

On that basis, a fourth successive quarter-final appearance looks like a virtual certainty for the two-time world champions, who have avoided defeat in their last seven last-16 ties at the World Cup.

In search of more good omens, France have won both previous World Cup meetings with Paraguay, including a 1-0 victory in the 1998 last-16 on their way to winning the tournament.

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Messi has set the benchmark high at this World Cup, and there’s only a handful of players capable of keeping up with his pace.

France captain Mbappe is one of them, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the Real Madrid superstar eclipses La Pulga’s tournament tally.

With six goals to his name, the 27-year-old trails his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate by a goal, as the star duo looks set to drag the Golden Boot race down to the wire.

Let’s see if Mbappe can hold up his end of the bargain.