Germany crash out as England fixture hit by attendance concerns | OneFootball

The stakes have risen sharply as the 2026 FIFA World Cup reached the knockouts, with the opening round already delivering plenty of intrigue.

Brazil bounced back from a half-time deficit to beat Japan 2-1 in a dramatic clash at Houston Stadium, as Gabriel Martinelli struck a last-g

The stakes have risen sharply as the 2026 FIFA World Cup reached the knockouts, with the opening round already delivering plenty of intrigue.

Brazil bounced back from a half-time deficit to beat Japan 2-1 in a dramatic clash at Houston Stadium, as Gabriel Martinelli struck a last-gasp winner to propel the record-time world champions to the next knockout round.

Hajime Moriyasu’s side took the lead on the stroke of the half-hour mark through Mainz midfielder Kaishu Sano, but Casemiro restored parity at the start of the second half with a thumping header.

When it looked like the game would go extra time, Bruno Guimaraes teed up Martinelli with a defence-splitting pass, and the Arsenal forward gave Zion Suzuki no chance, slotting the ball off the post and into the net.

Martinelli’s calm finish condemned the Samurai Blue to their sixth defeat in as many World Cup knockout ties while helping the Selecao progress from the first knockout round for the ninth time in a row.

While Brazil escaped unscathed, Germany could not say the same.

Paraguay stage epic upset in Foxborough

Reaching the knockout stages in their first World Cup appearance since 2010 was already a huge success for Paraguay, but they went a step further by eliminating Germany from the tournament.

Even with the odds heavily stacked against them, Gustavo Alfaro’s side

Strasbourg forward Julio Enciso gave the Guaranies an unexpected lead towards the end of the first half, but Kai Havertz brought things back to ‘normal’ only nine minutes after the break.

Little did Julian Nagelsmann know it would be Germany’s last goal in North America, as Paraguay held firm to take the contest to penalties, where Die Mannschaft ultimately lost their composure.

Nick Woltemade, Jonathan Tah and Havertz missed from the spot, allowing Paraguay to win a World Cup knockout tie for just the second time in their history, with San Lorenzo goalkeeper Orlando Gill emerging as the nation’s new hero.

Gill denied Havertz and Woltemade before Tah skied the ball over the top, condemning the European powerhouse to another early World Cup exit.

Buoyed by this outstanding result, Paraguay will face either France or Sweden in the round of 16.

Sweden chase another American fairytale vs record-bidding France

New York’s MetLife Stadium forms the backdrop for an exciting round-of-16 clash between familiar foes France and Sweden.

Les Bleus ran riot in the group stage, netting a joint-high ten goals in a hat-trick of victories over Senegal, Norway and Iraq to progress with a 100% record for the first time since winning the tournament on home soil in 1998.

With Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele firing on all cylinders, Didier Deschamps’ free-firing team stands on the brink of becoming the first nation in World Cup history to score at least three goals in five consecutive matches.

Achieving that feat would all but ensure the French break another record and secure an unprecedented seventh successive World Cup triumph over UEFA opposition on the back of a 4-1 thrashing of second-string Norway in their last Group I outing.

France not falling at the first knockout hurdle since 1934 looks like a scary prospect for the Swedes, who broke their national record with seven goals scored in the group stage to mask their topsy-turvy Group F campaign.

Graham Potter’s side kicked the tournament off with a 5-1 rout of Tunisia, only to find themselves on the receiving end of that same scoreline in the following round against the Netherlands.

Despite facing long odds, Sweden may still have history on their side here, having secured a third-place finish at the last World Cup hosted by the United States in 1994 while bagging a remarkable 15 goals across the whole tournament.

Steep prices leave England facing muted atmosphere vs DR Congo

Empty sections in the stands have become a recurring theme at this summer’s World Cup, largely thanks to outrageous ticket prices, and England’s showdown with the DR Congo may be the latest fixture affected.

According to Telegraph Sport, nearly 600 tickets remained unsold on Monday morning for the clash that will take place on Wednesday afternoon at the 67,382-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

On the surface, that figure does not appear particularly troubling, yet the fact that nearly 3,000 additional tickets have appeared on FIFA’s official resale platform paints a slightly more concerning picture.

Given how prohibitive the prices are, it’s barely surprising.

Late ticket sales showed notable availability, including 123 unsold Category 1 seats priced at $885 (£668) and 461 Category 2 tickets at $770 (£581).

Furthermore, another 2,909 tickets are up for resale, with prices ranging from $747.50 (£563) to an eye-watering $138,000 (£104,000).

However, it’s still a bit confusing, given that FIFA labelled each of England’s three matches in Group L as ‘sold-outs.’

Thomas Tuchel’s men emerged victorious twice en route to topping their group, but their performances flattered to deceive, and they’ll need all the support they can get if they are to come into their own in this fixture.

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Erling Haaland enjoyed a dream start to his first World Cup, netting four goals in Norway’s opening two group-stage fixtures before Stale Solbakken left him on the bench against France.

The Manchester City superstar will hope to pick up where he left off when the Vikings take on knockout debutants Ivory Coast in a high-stakes last-32 showdown at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.

With Norway losing both previous knockout matches at the grandest international stage, the pressure is firmly on one of the best strikers in the world to finally change their fortunes and fire them into uncharted territory.

Sought-after RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande will be expected to shoulder a similar burden for Ivory Coast amid growing interest from Paris Saint-Germain and several other top European clubs.