World Cup Round of 16 bracket, schedule, live updates: France vs. Paraguay kicks off second round

1 month ago 6

After several penalty shootouts, drama and controversy, the World Cup’s Round of 32 is finally over. What does the second round of the knockout stage have in store for us?

The Round of 16 kicks off on Saturday with two matchups and two heavily favored teams. Co-host Canada will get things started in Houston against Morocco after a last-gasp winner in its Round of 32 game against South Africa. The Moroccans have high hopes in this tournament after finishing third at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

France, the favorite to win the World Cup, will then face Paraguay in the afternoon game as Kylian Mbappe looks to add on to his Golden Boot tally. The French have outscored their opponents 13-2 so far this tournament. The Paraguayans are aiming to continue their miracle run after knocking off Germany in penalty kicks in the first round.

The winners of the two games will play each other in Boston on July 9.

Saturday’s Round of 32 schedule

1 p.m. ET (Fox) — Canada vs. Morocco
5 p.m. ET (Fox) — France vs. Paraguay

Follow the World Cup right here on Yahoo Sports with live updates, highlights, results and the latest news below:

Live3 updates

Sat, July 4, 2026 at 6:20 AM PDT
Sean Leahy
Sat, July 4, 2026 at 6:15 AM PDT
Jack Baer
Mauricio Pochettino had a challenge on Friday, or at least a challenge in addition to preparing for Belgium.
The USMNT coach, an Argentinean national, was to throw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners' game, days before his squad's Round of 16 game at nearby Lumen Field. The man had zero baseball experience, putting him at risk of joining the 50 Cent Hall of Fame.
Fortunately, the worries turned out to be for naught. The 54-year-old Pochettino reared back and threw a perfectly acceptable first pitch. It was looping and a bit high to be considered a bona fide strike, but straight enough that at least 90% of first-pitch throwers would probably take that outcome.
Sat, July 4, 2026 at 6:00 AM PDT
Sean Leahy
The Round of 16 begins today. Take a look at our What to Watch to get informed about today’s matchups.