The knockout round of the World Cup kicked off yesterday, with cohost Canada topping South Africa, 1-0. The win-or-go-home phase of the tournament follows more than two weeks of the round-robin-style group stage, with 32 of the 48 teams advancing. The US, coming off its best group stage showing in team history, plays Bosnia-Herzegovina Wednesday (Fox, 8 pm ET)—see the full 32-team bracket.
Teams are not reseeded in the bracket—placement is determined by group stage performance (see overview)—leading to several heavyweight matchups in the first round. Ranked Nos. 6 and 7 by FIFA heading into the tournament, Morocco and the Netherlands meet tonight (Fox, 9 pm ET), while cohost Mexico face Ecuador tomorrow (Fox, 9 pm ET). Cinderella Cape Verde, playing in its first World Cup, faces superstar Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina Friday (Fox, 6 pm ET).
Watch the top 10 plays leading into the next stage, and listen to our exploration of the organization that runs the World Cup.
