Out-of-this-world Messi marches on, Canada prepare for the biggest game in their history | OneFootball

With the group stage now in the books, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to enter its most unforgiving phase.

Most of the pre-tournament heavyweights, including France and Argentina, have made it through to the round of 32.

However, the road to the knockout stage has not been without controversy. Read on as we dive into the standout stories making headlines at the World Cup.

Historic battle set to unfold in Los Angeles

SoFi Stadium sets the stage for a historic round-of-32 showdown between South Africa and co-hosts Canada, as both nations have reached the knockout stage for the first time ever.

Bafana Bafana bounced back from a two-game winless start to their Group A campaign with a history-defining 1-0 win over South Korea.

Hugo Broos, 74, is set to become the oldest manager to oversee a World Cup knockout match.

A lack of firepower could be a potential stumbling block for South Africa, given that they’ve failed to score more than once in their last eight outings, including a 2-0 defeat to Mexico on day one.

Canada will be eager to follow in La Tri’s footsteps and recover from a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland, which ended their ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Despite being heavily fancied to progress into the next round, the Canucks would be naive to underestimate the task ahead, not least because they’ve lost both competitive clashes against African opposition.

A 2-0 defeat in their only previous meeting with South Africa doesn’t make for promising reading either, even if it came in a friendly nearly 20 years ago. However, there’s a more pressing issue.

Jesse Marsch is still sweating over Alphonso Davies’ availability. He faces a race against time to register his first appearance at this summer’s tournament.

Messi is inevitable

With Argentina locking in first place in Group J with a game to spare, manager Lionel Scaloni left Lionel Messi on the bench.

The Albiceleste were 2-0 up at half-time as Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martinez scored in the opening 31 minutes, but Rennes ace Mousa Al Tamari scored to blow the contest wide open early in the second half.

However, the Inter Miami forward came on at the hour mark and continued his incredible World Cup campaign with yet another moment of magic, slotting home a stunning 80th-minute free kick.

Messi’s record-extending 19th World Cup goal put the game to bed, helping Argentina reach the knockouts as one of just three teams with a 100 percent record at the tournament.

Scaloni’s side will face surprise package Cape Verde in the round of 32, and it’s impossible to shake the feeling that La Pulga still has a few more iconic moments left in him.

Already sitting on six goals at this summer’s tournament, Messi could become only the fourth player in World Cup history to reach double figures in a single edition.

Iran captain blasts FIFA & Infantino

Mehdi Taremi has slammed FIFA president Gianni Infantino for the handling of Iran’s World Cup campaign.

Taremi, who squandered a first-half penalty in a 1-1 draw against Egypt on matchday three, lost his temper after the FIFA chief failed to live up to his pre-tournament promise and ‘protect’ Iran.

Initially stationed in Tucson, Arizona, they had to move their base camp to Mexico due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.

They subsequently faced persistent problems entering and exiting the US, while several staff members reportedly encountered visa-related delays and administrative hurdles that disrupted the team’s preparations throughout the tournament.

Frustrated by the situation, Taremi took a dig at Infantino, arguing that FIFA had placed Iran at a competitive disadvantage.

“It’s a disaster World Cup – a disaster,” he said (via The Athletic). “I mean, FIFA, they have to solve every problem here, but unfortunately, they have not solved it since the beginning.

“Mr Infantino came to our changing room after the first game against New Zealand and said, ‘It’s just the beginning’. But the group stage finishes tomorrow.

“It’s not fair. Our opinion is, it’s not fair. Is it fair for FIFA? Okay, good to them. But it’s not fair. Who wants to help us? If they want us to be out, then okay, let’s get out.

“But that’s not fair. We don’t have recovery or logistics people to help us. We always complain about these things, but no one helps, no one.”

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England secured top spot in Group L ahead of Croatia after beating Panama 2-0 at MetLife Stadium, recovering from a dull 0-0 draw against Ghana to lift spirits ahead of the knockout stage.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham got on the scoresheet as Thomas Tuchel registered his 13th win in 17 matches in charge of the Three Lions, although their first-half performance left plenty to be desired.

Tuchel’s side will have to do much better if they’re to end a painful 60-year drought, and they’ll have an opportunity to demonstrate their class in the opening knockout round against DR Congo.