In the final match of Group E at the 2026 World Cup, held on the morning of June 26th, Ivory Coast secured an impressive 2-0 victory against Curacao. Former Arsenal player Nicolas Pepe shone brightly, contributing a brace in the match.
Ecuador celebrates securing a place in the World Cup Round of 16 (Photo: Getty).
Thus, Ivory Coast secured their place in the Round of 16 as the second-placed team in Group E with 6 points after three matches. They have the same number of points as Germany but have an inferior head-to-head record. In the next round, the African team will face the second-placed team in Group I.
Meanwhile, Ecuador narrowly made it to the World Cup knockout stage. The South American team staged an impressive comeback to win 2-1 against Germany. Thanks to this victory, Ecuador advanced as one of the eight best third-placed teams out of twelve.
In their final Group F match on the morning of June 26th, the Netherlands secured a 3-1 victory over Tunisia to claim first place in the group with 7 points. The "Orange Tornado" will face Morocco (second in Group C) in the Round of 16 of the World Cup.
Japan and Sweden also advanced together after a 1-1 draw. Japan finished second in Group F with 5 points. They will face Brazil (first in Group C) in the next round, promising a highly anticipated match. Sweden, with 4 points, secured their place in the next round as one of the 8 best third-placed teams out of 12.
The final matches of Group D on the morning of June 26th also determined another team advancing: Australia. The Asian team drew 0-0 against Paraguay to secure second place in the group with 4 points. Previously, the USA had already qualified for the knockout round as group D winners with 6 points. Their opponent in the next round will be Bosnia.
Australia celebrates securing their place in the next round (Photo: Getty).
With 4 points, Paraguay is likely to secure a spot among the top 8 third-placed teams.
Thus, as of this moment, FIFA has determined 19 teams that have qualified for the next round: Mexico, South Africa (Group A), Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia (Group B), Brazil, Morocco (Group C), USA, Australia (Group D), Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador (Group E), Netherlands, Japan, Sweden (Group F), France, Norway (Group I), Argentina (Group J), Colombia (Group K).
The first four pairings for the Round of 16 have been revealed: South Africa vs. Canada, Netherlands vs. Morocco, USA vs. Bosnia, and Brazil vs. Japan.