World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Predictions: July 1

The World Cup 2026 Round of 32 continues with three more matches on Wednesday, July 1. Group winners England, Belgium and United States all enter their first knockout stage matches as soccer odds favorites to advance in the win-or-go-home format. Entering this round as the fourth favorite on the World Cup championship odds board, England is a huge -375 favorite.

Winning Group D allowed the US team to stay in America for their showdown with Bosnia-Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium. The USA’s bid for a perfect group record was spoiled in a last minute stoppage time loss to Turkey. The team did get to rest many of its key players in preparation for the Round of 32.

What Is the Round of 32 in the World Cup?

Soccer historians and experts might be asking, what is the Round of 32 at the World Cup? The Round of 32 is a completely new stage added when the World Cup field was expanded from 32 to 48 nations for this tournament. It serves as the first round of the knockout stage with the winners of the single-elimination matches advancing to the Round of 16.

How Teams Advance to the Round of 32

• Teams advance to the Round of 32 in one of three ways.
• Group stage winners and second place clubs from each of the 12 groups (24 total) qualify automatically.
• To fill out the field the eight third place teams with the best records also earn a spot in the Round of 32.

How the World Cup Round of 32 Bracket Works

• The World Cup Round of 32 bracket is determined by how clubs finish during the 3-match group stage.
• Teams fall into pre-assigned slots on the bracket depending on whether they finished first, second or as a best third-place team.
• Group winners are slotted against teams that had a worse finish. The wild cards are paired with eight group winners.

World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Matches Today

England’s scoreless draw with Ghana in group play seemed unsettling at the time. The result turned out to be the difference as England won Group L by one point over Croatia. Harry Kane and his Three Lions teammates get the day’s Round of 32 World Cup 2026 action started against Group K wild card DR Congo from Atlanta at Noon ET. England opened at -375 in World Cup odds.

Senegal survived and advanced through one of the most difficult brackets suffering losses to tournament favorite France and upstart Norway. Needing to win their final group match Senegal dominated in a 5-0 win over Iraq. A plus-2 goal differential bolstered their wild card hopes. Belgium also exploded in their last group match beating New Zealand 5-1 to win Group G.

The USMNT won Group D after winning its first two matches in convincing fashion so there wasn’t much to play for against Turkey. They lost on a last minute stoppage time goal to spoil a perfect record. Key players got the rest needed for the Round of 32 against Group B wild card Bosnia-Herzegovina that closes the day’s slate at 9 p.m. ET.

Today’s Round of 32 World Cup Predictions

The US gets a key player back in Captain America Christian Pulisic, who was injured in the opening match and missed the 2-0 win over Australia. He did play in the second half of the Turkey game and should be eager to go as a main weapon to break down the B&H backline. Our World Cup Round of 32 predictions has the Americans advancing with a full-time win.

Both Senegal and Belgium struggled early in group play but came around in their final match each scoring five goals in a win to advance. Senegal escaped what most determined was the World Cup’s toughest group, with Senegal adding to that. Losses to France and Norway made Senegal a hardened squad able to outperform the Group G winner.

England vs. DR Congo Prediction and Preview

Reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time makes this an emotional moment for DR Congo. While they might be able to use that energy, sustaining it for an entire match against one of the tournament favorites is a big ask. They conceded only three goals in group using a compact defensive structure. They must contain England’s attack for hopes of an upset.

Needing to beat Panama to win Group L, England played a disciplined match getting goals from its stars Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in a 2-0 victory. There were concerns about the team’s backline structure entering the tournament, but England had two clean sheets to finish group play.

Belgium vs. Senegal Prediction and Preview

A Senegal win would technically be an upset since Belgium is the soccer odds favorite, though at plus-money. Senegal advanced through arguably the toughest group losing to World Cup favorite France and Erling Haaland-led Norway. Their physical play can wear down opponents and Belgium has an experienced but aging squad.

Belgium had some head-scratching results early in group drawing against Egypt and Iran while scoring just once. They did break out in their final match crushing New Zealand 5-1. That was against the worst team in the group and one of the poorest in the tournament, though.

United States vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina Prediction and Preview

In a tactical move the Americans subbed out nearly all its starters and lost to Turkey in the final group match. Resting players was more important since the outcome was meaningless. A plus for USA was having top scoring threat Christian Pulisic back on the pitch after missing the Australia match. With a complete XI the Americans have enough to overtake B&H.

Needing to beat Qatar in their final group match the Bosnians delivered, 3-1. They were resilient on defense throughout the group stage electing to play more structured on the back end. A lack of team speed hurts their counterattacking and limits their chances of scoring.

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World Cup Round of 32 Bracket Outlook

The World Cup Round of 32 bracket is formatted to have the winners of the Belgium/Senegal and USA/Bosnia-Herzegovina matches meet in the next round giving fans and bettors a good look at both squads. One of the three co-hosts in the Round of 32, the Americans look to join Canada in the next round.

Potential Paths to the Next Round

The USA has a clear path to the Round of 16 facing a Bosnia-Herzegovina team that lacks overall depth and team speed. Former Liverpool coach and current World Cup analyst Jurgen Klopp said, “It is the best team USA has ever had.” England is looking to overcome past World Cup failures and should advance as a heavy favorite over DR Congo. Harry Kane is also in the running for the Golden Boot award and needs to play as many matches as possible.

Matchups That Could Shape the Bracket

If the favorites prevail in the Round of 32 there will be an interesting matchup with England taking on co-host Mexico in Mexico City. USA could face Senegal in the next round in a rematch of a friendly the teams played just before the start of the World Cup that the Americans won 3-2.

Daily Round of 32 World Cup Summary

Senegal ran into a rough patch just before the World Cup that actually started with a loss to USA in late May. That doesn’t take away what they were able to accomplish before that as one of Africa’s top squads. England also needs a strong run to exorcise past demons showing a defensive structure to complement their attacking brilliance. And a strong American team playing at home is worth a win in my World Cup Round of 32 predictions.