World Cup Round of 16 is set: Messi, Salah and other stars learn their opponents

Messi survives a scare as Argentina narrowly edges Cape Verde

Defending world champion Argentina entered its match against Cape Verde as the overwhelming favorite. La Albiceleste had been unbeaten in World Cup knockout matches since 2019. However, the Blue Sharks gave the tournament favorites a real fight.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 30th minute after a brilliant assist from Lisandro Martínez. With the goal, Argentina made World Cup history by becoming the first team to lead at halftime in five consecutive knockout matches.

However, in the second half, Deroy Duarte stunned the favorites by equalizing, sending the match into extra time, where the real drama began.

Just two minutes into extra time, in the 92nd minute, Lisandro Martínez restored Argentina's lead. But the score was soon level again at 2-2. Six minutes later, Sidney Lopes Cabral, a teammate of Ukrainians Ruslan Malinovskyi and Arsenii Batagov at Turkish club Trabzonspor, produced a superb finish to equalize for the second time.

The decisive moment came in the 111th minute. Lionel Messi delivered a pinpoint corner kick, Cristian Romero powered a header toward goal, and the ball deflected off Cape Verde defender Dini Borges before finding the back of the net.

FIFA officially ruled it an own goal, denying Messi what would have been a historic assist record. Still, Argentina held on for a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Clinical Colombia edges Ghana

In the day's other parallel match, Colombia claimed a more composed but equally important 1-0 win over Ghana.

Colombia controlled possession from the opening whistle, and the pressure paid off in the 14th minute. Luis Suárez delivered a precise low cross from the right flank, and Jhon Arias expertly redirected the ball past Ghana's goalkeeper with a first-time finish.

Early in the second half, Colombia's star forward Luis Díaz appeared to double the lead, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Ghana pushed forward in search of an equalizer late in the match but failed to register a single shot on target, drawing attention mainly for its physical play and a series of yellow cards.

Historic breakthrough for Egypt: Salah's side advances on penalties

Egypt and Australia delivered one of the biggest surprises of the tournament, meeting in an official match for the first time in history. The contest kept fans on the edge of their seats for the full 120 minutes.

Egypt struck first in the 13th minute when Emam Ashour headed home a cross from Karim Hafez. Australia equalized in the 55th minute thanks to an unfortunate own goal by Egypt defender Mohamed Hany.

Late in extra time, Mohamed Salah had a chance to win it for Egypt following a corner kick, but Australia's goalkeeper produced a stunning save.

In the penalty shootout, however, Egypt held its nerve, winning 4-2. It marked the country's first-ever victory in the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup. Salah's team will now compete at this stage of the tournament for the first time since 1934.

Round of 32 recap: World Cup Round of 16 bracket is complete

With hard-fought victories, Argentina, Colombia, and Egypt claimed the final spots in the next round, completing the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 bracket.

All Round of 16 matches will be played from July 4 to July 7. Earlier, we reported on how Canada and Morocco are preparing to kick off the knockout stage.

Round of 16 schedule (Kyiv time):

• Saturday, July 4 (8:00 p.m.): Canada vs. Morocco
• Sunday, July 5 (12:00 a.m.): Paraguay vs. France
• Sunday, July 5 (11:00 p.m.): Brazil vs. Norway
• Monday, July 6 (3:00 a.m.): Mexico vs. England
• Monday, July 6 (10:00 p.m.): Portugal vs. Spain
• Tuesday, July 7 (3:00 a.m.): United States vs. Belgium
• Tuesday, July 7 (7:00 p.m.): Argentina vs. Egypt
• Tuesday, July 7 (11:00 p.m.): Switzerland vs. Colombia

Earlier, AI named the leading favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup ahead of the start of the knockout stage.