FIFA World Cup round of 16: Bracket, schedule, predictions and latest news

The FIFA World Cup circular of 16 connected Sunday has 2 heavyweight ties arsenic Brazil look Norway successful New Jersey earlier cohosts Mexico instrumentality connected England successful Mexico City.

Here’s the afloat schedule, Opta’s predictions and the latest quality from the tournament, including Morocco’s march into the quarterfinals and France’s fiery triumph implicit Paraguay.

What is Sunday’s schedule?

• Brazil vs Norway: 4pm (20:00 GMT) astatine New York New Jersey Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
• Mexico vs England: 6pm (00:00 GMT into Monday) astatine Mexico City Stadium

What are the predictions for Brazil vs Norway?

Brazil volition beryllium hoping to extremity an unwanted inclination erstwhile they look Norway successful the circular of 16.

The teams person met 4 times antecedently successful each competitions, and Norway person yet to suffer the fixture. The Scandinavians person won doubly and drawn twice, including a memorable 2-1 triumph implicit Brazil astatine the 1998 World Cup.

Despite those humanities trends, the Opta supercomputer calculates Brazil arsenic the wide favourites. After moving 25,000 pre-match simulations, Brazil won successful regularisation clip successful 53.6 percent of the outcomes.

Norway claimed triumph wrong 90 minutes successful 22.4 percent of the simulations portion 24 percent ended level aft mean time, sending the necktie to other clip and perchance penalties.

What are the predictions for Mexico vs England?

England and Mexico person crossed paths lone erstwhile earlier astatine the World Cup, and that gathering dates backmost astir 60 years.

The brushwood came during the radical signifier of the 1966 tourney erstwhile tourney hosts England secured a 2-0 victory, acknowledgment to goals from Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt. The Three Lions went connected to assistance the trophy that summer, claiming the lone World Cup rubric successful their history.

England person besides enjoyed the precocious manus successful the fixture extracurricular the World Cup, winning each of their past 4 meetings with Mexico. Those victories each came successful planetary friendlies played from 1986 to 2010.

Opta’s supercomputer predicted 1 of the closest contests of the circular of 16 with neither broadside holding a decisive advantage.

England participate the necktie with a favourable humanities grounds against Mexico, but El Tri’s location enactment and familiarity with the conditions assistance constrictive the gap.

Across 25,000 simulations, England won successful mean clip 40.6 percent of the time, portion Mexico did truthful successful 31.5 percent. A further 27.9 percent of simulations ended level aft 90 minutes, meaning the lucifer would necessitate other clip and perchance a punishment shootout.

Remaining circular of 16 schedule:

• Brazil vs Norway: Sunday, New York New Jersey Stadium, 20:00 GMT
• Mexico vs England: Sunday, Mexico City Stadium, 00:00 GMT going into Monday
• Portugal vs Spain: Monday, Dallas Stadium, 19:00 GMT
• USA vs Belgium: Monday, Seattle Stadium, 00:00 GMT going into Tuesday
• Argentina vs Egypt: Tuesday, Atlanta Stadium, 16:00 GMT
• Switzerland vs Colombia: Tuesday, BC Place Vancouver, 20:00 GMT

What other is happening?

Morocco’s historical quarterfinal run

Morocco reached the World Cup quarterfinals for a 2nd consecutive tourney aft defeating cohosts Canada 3-0 connected Saturday with Azzedine Ounahi scoring doubly to extremity the North Americans’ historical run.

The last people did not bespeak the equilibrium of the game. Canada controlled overmuch of the archetypal half, creating respective promising chances portion keeping Morocco from registering their archetypal changeable until the 28th minute.

Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi was visibly frustrated connected the touchline earlier the interruption arsenic misplaced passes and sloppy errors disrupted his side’s rhythm, but the squad responded with a much-improved show aft half-time.

“It’s a World Cup match, and these are hard games with teams playing for their lives,” Ouahbi said. “We reacted precise good successful the 2nd half, particularly successful the duels and successful winning the 2nd balls.

Was Paraguay’s play ‘dirty’?

France skipper Kylian Mbappe insisted his broadside were prepared to lucifer Paraguay’s carnal attack aft securing a hard-fought 1-0 triumph connected Saturday to scope the World Cup quarterfinals.

Mbappe, who converted the decisive punishment successful the 70th infinitesimal aft Desire Doue was fouled successful the area, dismissed the proposition that France were unsettled by Paraguay’s assertive tactics.

“They thought we’d travel retired successful tuxedos, trying fancy tricks and one-twos,” Mbappe said. “But we cognize however to play soiled shot too. If that’s what the crippled requires, we person nary occupation doing it.”

The winning punishment was awarded lone aft a VAR reappraisal with France manager Didier Deschamps questioning referee Ilgiz Tantashev’s handling of the progressively carnal contest.

“We received 3 yellowish cards portion they kept fouling america passim the game,” Deschamps said. “Every squad is entitled to play successful its ain way, but I could person done without immoderate of the insults from the opposition.”

Mexico’s fortress awaits England

Mexico volition look to extremity a 40-year hold to beforehand to the World Cup quarterfinals erstwhile they look England connected Sunday, backed by 1 of planetary football’s strongest location records.

The cohosts person mislaid lone 2 authoritative matches astatine Mexico City Stadium since it opened successful 1966 with the past decision coming against Honduras successful a World Cup qualifier successful 2013.

Former Mexico striker Hugo Sanchez believes the stadium could erstwhile again marque the difference.

“The stadium is simply a monster; that explains the precocious fig of wins and draws and the fewer losses, which were conscionable accidents. We attack this with optimism due to the fact that we cognize it’s England, but if we play the mode we did against Ecuador, we tin bushed them.”

Mexico’s World Cup grounds astatine the stadium reflects that dominance. Across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments, El Tri person played 10 World Cup matches there, winning 8 and drafting two. In this year’s tournament, they person beaten South Africa, Czechia and Ecuador successful Mexico City without conceding a extremity portion besides defeating South Korea successful Guadalajara.