After 48 matches in North America, it’s time for the final round of games in the group stage at World Cup 2026.

Sixteen teams will be eliminated after these fixtures, with 32 nations heading through to the knockout stages.

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – will proceed to the next phase.

Here are the top five “must-watch” matches in the second round of fixtures from June 24 until June 27.

⚽️ Scotland vs Brazil

Miami Stadium – Wednesday, 6pm (22:00 GMT)

These two sides will meet at the World Cup for the fifth time and there’s plenty to play for in an intriguing encounter in Miami.

Brazil are looking to secure their place in the knockout stages as group winners and are currently tied with Morocco on four points at the top of Group C.

Scotland are aiming to escape the group for the first time at a major international tournament and know that a point will almost certainly guarantee a spot in the round of 32.

Expect Group C to change a lot during these final fixtures, with Morocco taking on Haiti at the same time.

If that isn’t enough, Brazil’s Neymar is also set to make his first appearance at this World Cup.

⚽️ Japan vs Sweden

Dallas Stadium – Thursday, 6pm (23:00 GMT)

It’s difficult to predict which Sweden will turn up in Dallas on Thursday.

Graham Potter’s side beat Tunisia 5-1 in their opening match of the World Cup, before losing by the same score to the Netherlands.

Japan have been entertaining to watch at this tournament and were in fine form during their 4-0 win over Tunisia at the weekend.

Expect plenty of goals in this match and plenty of drama. The winner will secure a top-two finish in Group F, so there is a lot to play for.

⚽️ Norway vs France

Boston Stadium – Friday, 3pm (19:00 GMT)

Norway and France are already through to the knockout stages, but this game looks set to be a blockbuster affair with both sides looking to top Group I.

Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have both scored four goals so far and they’ll be desperate to add to their tally as they chase down Lionel Messi.

France are one of the favourites to lift the World Cup next month and are looking to end the group stage with three wins from three.

But Norway have the opportunity to prove that they truly are dark horses in this tournament and can compete with elite international sides.

Buckle in for a big one in Boston.

⚽️ Uruguay vs Spain

Seattle Stadium – Friday, 6pm (00:00 GMT on Saturday)

Group H has been a tight affair following some surprise results in the opening round of fixtures.

Uruguay drew with Saudi Arabia, while Cape Verde shocked the world with a goalless draw against Spain.

La Roja bounced back by thrashing Saudi Arabia and they go into their final game as group leaders, with Uruguay two points behind in second.

Spain will secure top spot with a win in Seattle, ensuring that they avoid Argentina in the round of 32.

⚽️ Egypt vs Iran

Seattle Stadium – Friday, 8pm (04:00 GMT on Saturday)

Neither of these sides have ever made it out of the group at a World Cup, but on Friday, at least one of them will achieve that feat.

Group G is closely bunched after a number of drawn matches and it sets things up nicely for an intriguing final round of fixtures.

Victory for either Egypt or Iran will guarantee them a spot in the knockout phase, so expect both sides to be up for this one.

Iran have faced numerous challenges at this World Cup, with restrictions on travel and visa issues before the tournament even began.

If Iran progress, there’s also still a chance that they will face the US in the knockout stages.

World Cup 2026: Remaining group-stage full schedule

Wednesday, June 24

• Switzerland vs Canada at 12pm PT (19:00 GMT) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
• Bosnia vs Qatar at 12pm PT (19:00 GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, US
• Scotland vs Brazil at 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, US
• Morocco vs Haiti at 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, US
• Czechia vs Mexico at 7pm CST (01:00 GMT on Thursday) – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• South Africa vs South Korea at 7pm CST (01:00 GMT on Thursday) – Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe, Mexico

Thursday, June 25

• Ecuador vs Germany at 4pm ET (20:00 GMT) – New York New Jersey Stadium, New Jersey, US
• Curacao vs Ivory Coast at 4pm ET (20:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, US
• Japan vs Sweden at 6pm CDT (23:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, US
• Tunisia vs Netherlands at 6pm CDT (23:00 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, US,
• Turkiye vs USA at 7pm PT (02:00 GMT on Friday) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, US
• Paraguay vs Australia at 7pm PT (02:00 GMT on Friday) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, US

Friday, June 26

• Norway vs France at 3pm ET (19:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, US
• Senegal vs Iraq at 3pm ET (19:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
• Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia at 7pm CDT (00:00 GMT on Saturday) – Houston Stadium, Houston, US
• Uruguay vs Spain at 6pm CST (00:00 GMT on Saturday) – Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
• Egypt vs Iran at 8pm PT (03:00 GMT on Saturday) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, US
• New Zealand vs Belgium at 8pm PT (03:00 GMT on Saturday) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada

Saturday, June 27

• Panama vs England at 5pm ET (21:00 GMT) – New York New Jersey Stadium, New Jersey, US
• Croatia vs Ghana at 5pm ET (21:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, US
• Colombia vs Portugal at 7:30pm ET (23:30 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, US
• DRC vs Uzbekistan at 7:30pm ET (23:30 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, US
• Algeria vs Austria at 9pm CDT (02:00 GMT on Sunday) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, US
• Jordan vs Argentina at 9pm CDT (02:00 GMT on Sunday) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, US

Kylian Mbappe scored his second brace ‌of the tournament, and France eased to a 3-0 victory over Iraq ⁠in the first match ⁠of this World Cup beset by a lengthy weather stoppage.

Mbappe’s goals came nearly three hours apart after thunderstorms in the region on Monday delayed the second-half kickoff by a shade ⁠under two hours.

They take him to 16 all-time World Cup tallies, pulling him level with former record-holder Miroslav Klose. Earlier on Monday, Lionel Messi set a new benchmark of 18 career World Cup ⁠goals with his brace in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria.

Mbappe’s four goals also place him one behind Messi in the 2026 Golden Boot race.

Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele also scored after half-time for two-time champions France (2-0-0, 6 points), who are all but assured of progressing.

Their last-32 place will become official if Norway ‌win or draw against Senegal in the other Group I fixture. That match, staged about two hours away by car in northern New Jersey, kicked off near-simultaneously with the start of the long-awaited second half at Philadelphia Stadium.

Iraq (0-2-0, 0 points) remain alive for one of the eight knockout spots allotted for third-place teams.

They will probably need a win in their group finale against Senegal and help elsewhere. And they could be without Aymen Hussein, who scored their only goal this tournament in their ⁠opener, but exited on Monday in the 26th minute with an apparent injury.

France ⁠dominated the early stages, and Mbappe capitalised in the 14th minute.

On an innocent-looking sequence on the right, Mbappe received Michael Olise’s pass, took one touch to his left and, with Iraqi defenders affording him space, unfurled a powerful strike from ⁠the edge of the penalty area that sailed beyond Ahmed Basil’s dive.

The delay could have served as a recovery period for Iraq, who spent most ⁠of the match chasing the ball. Instead, they gifted France ⁠and Mbappe a second on a dreadful mistake from a goal kick.

Dembele was the provider for Mbappe’s tap-in. He scored 12 minutes later, after controlling Olise’s incisive pass into the 18-yard box and finishing low past Basil.

With the outcome never in doubt, ‌the weather provided the drama.

After referee Drew Fischer blew his half-time whistle as storms were already beginning, the skies opened further, and spectators were told to seek shelter in the stadium concourses.

Players finally ‌re-emerged ‌for warm-ups about 1 hour and 40 minutes later, and even then, the restart was delayed further as stadium personnel used squeegees to shuttle standing water off the east side of the pitch.

Deniz Undav scored two goals off the bench as Germany pulled off a thrilling comeback to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their ⁠World Cup Group E match, securing their place in the knockout stage for the first time since they won the title in 2014.

After having two goals disallowed in the first half on Saturday, Germany did not lose ⁠focus and used intricate passing to find their way, while the West Africans produced their dynamic brand of attacking football in a wild Group E clash.

Undav levelled the score with a controlled, volleyed finish in the 68th minute and struck again when he received a pass on the turn, before swivelling and firing home a ball that Yahia ‌Fofana had no chance at stopping.

The versatile striker now has nine goals in his last eight matches.

Simon Adingra had a late chance for Ivory Coast, but he failed to get a shot off in the area before Germany charged back down the field and Fofana blocked a low shot from Nathaniel Brown.

Ivory Coast had opened the scoring in the first half when Franck Kessie slotted home a rebound off a shot by Amad Diallo on a play created when Yan Diomande charged down the left side and sent in ⁠a cross.

With more than 100,000 people of German ancestry living in Toronto, Julian Nagelsmann’s ⁠men enjoyed plenty of support but were a frustrated group at the interval with nothing to show for their eight attempts on goal.

Germany looked to have opened the scoring when midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic rose to meet a short corner in the 25th minute but was ⁠deemed to have fouled Fofana in the process.

The ruling left Pavlovic with his hands atop his head in disbelief while Fofana received some attention after the collision, and ⁠the partisan German crowd made their disdain for the referee’s decision ⁠known.

Shortly after, it was Ivory Coast who finally broke through with Kessie’s goal. The West Africans have scored in their last seven matches at the tournament – the longest such sequence on the global stage in their history.

Germany once again put the ball in the back of the ‌net, but their celebrations were cut short as the referee determined that Jamal Musiala had fouled Odilon Kossounou in the buildup.

Germany top Group E with six points and are through to the last 32, while Ivory Coast remain ‌on three after two matches. Ecuador and Curacao meet in Kansas City later on Saturday.

Germany will close out the group stage against Ecuador on Thursday in New Jersey, while Ivory Coast face Curacao in Philadelphia.

A French town on Saturday hosted a special event inside a hexagonal cage normally used for mixed martial arts: duels between fully armoured warriors wielding medieval weapons.

Fighters used swords and axes to battle it out in 20 combats at Onet-le-Chateau in the Aveyron region of southern France.

The local council described the fights as the modern-day equivalent of "what was effectively the mixed martial arts of the Middle Ages".

While most of the action involved men from France, Poland and Britain, some women fighters were also on the bill.

The fights were held in a local club that organises this kind of armoured combat, known as behourd.

Organisers say it includes not just weapons combat but wrestling, ground work and strikes with the fists, feet, elbows, knees, the head and the shield.

"The word 'behourd' comes from Old French," said Clement Carsac, president of the local club.

"It was a recreational activity practised by men in the Middle Ages, It’s where history and combat sports meet." 

The fights were preceded by weighing-in sessions, because behourd is divided into weight classes, like boxing or judo.

The combatants then put on their armour and helmet, which can weigh up to six kilos (13 pounds).

It is a rather expensive activity: "A full kit costs between 3,000 and 4,000 euros," said to Carsac -- $3,450 to $4,600.  

vch-dmc/gv/jj

Last October jockey Clifford Lee came within a "millimetre" of dying when he broke a vertebra in a motorbike crash -- on Friday he rode Venetian Sun to victory in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

The 30-year-old Englishman was out of action for five-and-a-half months after the accident with the surgeon saying "he was within less than a millimetre of killing himself".

Lee gave Venetian Sun a fine ride in the Group One race, a year to the day that the filly owned by Premier League side Brighton's owner Tony Bloom won the Albany Stakes at the meeting.

"It is fantastic," said Lee.

"I had five and a half months off as I broke my C1, but I feel I have come back stronger and better.

"It helps riding good horses.

"It was very hard as it took me a long time to actually get back fit.

"It is great to be back."

Aidan O'Brien was to win the other Group One race on the card, racking up Royal Ascot win number 101, as his star filly Precise made it six wins from eight races in the Group One Coronation Stakes.

For jockey Ryan Moore it was his 97th Royal Ascot triumph.

As for O'Brien it was doubly pleasurable as he bred the winner -- and also a perfect day for the horse's part owner Michael Tabor to make his first appearance of the week. 

"I have been nursing a heavy cold from the Derby and at my age it takes longer to get over it," said Tabor.

"There is one happy breeder but he is very shy," joked Tabor as O'Brien stood beside him.

- 'Here baby' -

O'Brien as ever had been very reluctant to talk himself up after he brought up the 100 on Thursday, paying tribute to the team.

"Aidan is very much his own man and as he says quite rightly it is a team game," said Tabor.

"Like in business if you do not have the right people round you it falls flat but he has a great team, he is good at delegating and he is the leader of that team."

O'Brien moved to six winners for the week when Causeway won the King Edward VII Stakes.

He will, though, face a battle royal with his eldest son Joseph on the final day as to who emerges as leading trainer for the week.

Joseph moved on to five when the 33-year-old's Green Carrera won the Sandringham Stakes.

Jockey Billy Loughnane and trainer George Boughey will hope Libertango goes on to repeat Venetian Sun's success as they teamed up to win the Albany Stakes.

Loughnane, 20, came from the clouds weaving his way through the 25 runner field to overhaul favourite Sun Goddess and record the fifth Royal Ascot winner of his career. 

Boughey, who teamed up with the man he calls his "younger brother" Loughnane to win the feature race on Tuesday the St James's Palace Stakes, admitted it had not been "pretty" to watch.

He was, though, delighted Turkish owner Ibrahim Araci's determination to buy the horse in April had been rewarded so quickly.

"He was pretty bold, Mr Araci -– he wanted to get the horse and he had to pay for it (£400,000, $530,000)," said Boughey.

Three years ago William Haggas trained a winner for Britain's King Charles III at the meeting, however, on Friday he denied the monarch his first victory of the week.

James McDonald on the Haggas-trained Opportunity -- owned by the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing -- seized his and ran down the King's Warrant Holder to win the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

"The King and Queen will have more chances,  probably more than I will," said crack New Zealand jockey James McDonald.

"I am here baby and enjoying it," added the 34-year-old.

pi/ea

Who: Germany vs Ivory Coast
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match
Where: Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
When: Saturday, 4pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera Sport

One of the most mouthwatering matches in the second round of games in the World Cup 2026 group stage sees four-time champions Germany facing a talented Ivory Coast outfit in Toronto on Saturday evening.

Both sides made a winning start to their Group E campaign, in very different ways, as Die Mannschaft overcame an early scare against Curacao to romp to a 7-1 win, while The Elephants eventually pipped Ecuador 1-0 with a last-gasp goal, after the South Americans had hit the woodwork three times.

Germany under the radar?

After disappointing group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, Germany came into this tournament somewhat under the radar, with the perennial powerhouse ranked only seventh-favourites to lift their fifth World Cup.

While they turned on the style thanks to young stars like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz to pile on the goals against Curacao – the smallest nation by size and population ever to have taken part in a World Cup – and the goals have flowed in 10 straight wins, this will be a far stiffer test.

Curacao caused the German defence a few problems, especially in the opening half-hour, and it’s their pivotal central-defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck, playing in front of 40-year-old keeper Manuel Neuer, that will ultimately decide how deep the Germans can go in this tournament.

Dynamic Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz continued his recent goalscoring run for club and country with a double for Germany in the opening game, but he will likely find the Ivory Coast defence a harder challenge than that posed by Curacao’s backline.

By winning their group opener, Germany did what they couldn’t in 2018 and 2022 and appear certain to progress to a first knockout match since the 2014 World Cup Final. Whether they advance as group winners, or limp through in the minor places, might well come down to the result in Toronto.

A win against Ivory Coast would secure direct top-two qualification to the Round of 32 and would likely be enough to top Group E should Ecuador fail to beat Curacao four hours later in Kansas City.

In an alternate scenario, even with a German victory against Ivory Coast, Ecuador – if they can beat both Curacao and then the Germans in Thursday’s group finale – would make things very interesting, with the potential for three teams – Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador – to be locked on six points and tiebreakers needed to separate them.

It matters because the team finishing first will play a third-placed qualifier, while the runner-up will face the team finishing second in the group featuring France, Norway, Senegal and Iraq, and the team qualifying third would face a group winner, potentially England or Mexico.

Matchday 4 ✔️#FIFAWorldCup

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 15, 2026

Pivotal match as Ivory Coast seek history

The Elephants might have ridden their luck, but ending Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten streak across nearly two years in their opening game caught the eye of their fan base and will have raised expectations.

Amad Diallo’s last-minute winner ensured Ivory Coast have now won a game at all four World Cups for which they have qualified, and they can reach the knockout stages for the first time, if they defeat Germany.

In fact, they can seal top spot in Group E should they beat Die Mannschaft and Ecuador fail to beat Curacao in the other group game later on Saturday evening.

A draw against Germany would make for an intriguing group finale on Thursday night, as it would likely leave all three teams in with a chance of finishing first going into the final game, with Ivory Coast potentially needing to beat Curacao by more than six goals to ensure supremacy on goal difference.

How does the group stage work?

Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao are in Group E.

They will play each other once in the initial stage of the tournament. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – will proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.

Head-to-head

This will be just the second meeting between Germany and Ivory Coast.

The previous game was a friendly in November 2009, which saw Lukas Podolski score twice, including a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw.

Form guide:

(Last five games, latest match first)

Germany: W-W-W-W-W

Ivory Coast: W-W-W-W-L

Germany’s thumping win over Curacao last Sunday means they have won 10 straight games going back to September 2025 and have scored two or more goals in nine of those matches.

They have, however, struggled at the opposite end of the pitch, conceding goals in seven straight World Cup matches, their longest run since 1970, and their last clean sheet came in the 2014 final against Argentina in Brazil.

Ivory Coast go in search of a fifth straight victory, and confidence is high after both the Ecuador triumph last Sunday, which followed their 2-1 win against world number-three France in their final warm-up game in Paris on June 4.

Their last defeat came in the AFCON quarterfinal against Egypt in January.

5 - Last night for @equipenatciv vs Ecuador, Yan Diomande became the first player Opta has on record since 1966 to create 5+ chances (5), make 5+ tackles (5), win 10+ duels (11) and have 10+ touches in the opposition’s box (12) in a FIFA World Cup match.

🇨🇮 Star. pic.twitter.com/F98Hg8NvV1

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2026

Team news: Germany

Coach Julian Nagelsmann might well keep faith with the same XI that eventually put Curacao to the sword, but if he does, it might be tough on Deniz Undav.

The Stuttgart forward came off the bench to replace Jamal Musiala with 26 minutes to go and scored and provided two assists as Germany picked up their biggest win since the 2014 semifinal against Brazil. The versatile Undav has scored seven times and added four assists in just 10 appearances for Die Mannschaft.

Team news: Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae likely has more decisions to make.

Elye Wahi started the win over Ecuador up front before being replaced just before the hour by Ange-Yoan Bonny.

He was initially denied entry into Canada for this match due to visa complications. He was linked to a sports betting scandal while playing for Nice in Ligue 1 last month, but has since been authorised to travel and could yet be involved.

Bonny and unused subs from the first game, Oumar Diakite and Evann Guessand, are alternative options in attack.

Diallo came off the bench to win it, and the Manchester United attacking midfielder will be pushing to start, which might mean a switch of flanks for teenage starlet Yan Diomande, who stole the show on the right against Ecuador and will be eager to put on a show against the nation in which he plays for RB Leipzig.

Germany predicted XI:

Neuer (goalkeeper); Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Pavlovic, Nmecha; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz.

Ivory Coast predicted XI:

Y. Fofana (goalkeeper); Doue, Singo, Agbadou, Konan; Diallo, Kessie, S. Fofana, Diomande; Bonny, Toure.

You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.