PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The United States kicked off its 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage as it took on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last round-of-32 match on Wednesday.
Mauricio Pochettino's side secured a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, booking their place in the round of 16, where they will face Belgium on Monday night.
In Philadelphia, fans have been gathering at the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill to watch the global competition.
Five matches have already been played in the city. The next game in Philadelphia will be held on Saturday, July 4, in a Round of 16 match between Paraguay and France.
All games will be held at Lincoln Financial Field, which has been renamed "Philadelphia Stadium" for the international event.
Kylian Mbappé put France ahead with a brilliant crossover step in the 45th minute and added a second-half goal to set a World Cupknockout round scoring record, and Les Bleus beat Sweden 3-0 Tuesday to set up a round of 16 match against Paraguay in Philadelphia on July 4.
Bradley Barcola added a 53rd-minute goal for France and Mbappé capped the scoring in the 74th minute for his third two-goal game in four matches. His six goals tied Argentina forward Lionel Messi for the tournament lead and gave him 18 in his World Cup career, one shy of Messi's record.
Mbappé's 10 knockout rounds goals are two more than the previous high by Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo. France coach Didier Deschamps bowed when his star came to the bench after he was substituted in the 85th minute.
Jun 30, 2026, 12:30 PM GMT
A heat dome will engulf World Cup games in the eastern US this week
A threatening heat dome will engulf the central and eastern U.S. this week with heat index temperatures - which combine air temperature with humidity - soaring into the triple-digits in some areas. Conditions will bring above-average temperatures to World Cup host cities such as Boston, Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, all of which have open-air stadiums.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch for Philadelphia and surrounding regions starting Wednesday afternoon and into Saturday evening, with dangerously hot "feels-like" temperatures, another term for the heat index, up to 110 F (43.3 C) during the daytime. As a result, FIFA's Fan Festival in Philadelphia is shifting its hours this week, including Saturday's watch party, which will end at the conclusion of the 1 p.m. game.
The New York City area could see near-record high temperatures of up to 109 F (42.8 C) with little respite overnight. An extreme heat watch will be in effect from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday evening.
Concerns about extreme heat during the games taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been mounting for months. In the U.S., heat kills more people every year than all other weather-related events, including hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Paraguay to face winner of France and Sweden match in Philadelphia
Jose Canale scored on the first sudden death penalty kick, Orlando Gill made two key saves in the shootout, and Paraguay upset Germany 4-3 on penalties Monday to earn the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup so far.
The round of 16 match ended 1-1 after extra time. Paraguay had gone in front when Julio Enciso scored on a header late in the first half. Kai Havertz equalized in the 52nd minute for four-time champion Germany.
Paraguay will next face the winner of Tuesday's match between France and Sweden on July 4 in the round of 16 in Philadelphia. A win in that match would land them back in Foxborough for a quarterfinal match on July 9.
Germany had won six of seven penalty shootouts in major tournaments, including six straight since losing to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final.
In the only previous World Cup match between the teams, Germany beat Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 at the 2002 tournament. Nearly a quarter-century later, Paraguay has its revenge.
Paraguay had appeared in five previous knockout games but failed to score in each. It advanced only once in those previous occasions, winning on penalty kicks against Japan in the round of 16 at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. It fell that year to eventual champion Spain in the quarterfinals.
Monday was Germany's first knockout game since the 2014 final in Brazil when the Germans beat Argentina 1-0 to capture their fourth World Cup title.
On Monday, Germany appeared to take a 2-1 lead in the 102nd minute when Jonathan Tah headed in a corner kick by Nathaniel Brown that was just above the reach of Gill. But a video review ruled that Waldemar Anton has pushed Gill to the ground before the shot and the goal was disallowed.
Jun 27, 2026, 11:15 PM GMT
Vlašić scores winner as Croatia beats Ghana 2-1 to reach World Cup knockout stage
Croatia earned a spot in the World Cup knockout round, getting goals from Nikola Vlai and Luka Sui to beat Ghana 2-1 on Saturday.
Ghana had already clinched a spot in the round of 32 for the first time since 2010.
Players stand for the national anthem before the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 27, 2026.
Vlai headed home Luka Modri's corner in the 83rd minute to score the winner and put Croatia back in contention after it finished third in 2022. The win means Croatia finished second behind England in Group L, with Ghana third.
Sui scored in the 31st minute for Croatia on an absolute rocket from outside the box for his second career international goal.
Derrick Luckassen scored the equalizer that -- after a brief review - sent thousands of fans wearing yellow into a frenzy. Luckassen, brother of the Netherlands' Brian Brobbey, found the bottom right corner in the 73rd minute to make it 1-1 and the first of the five group stage games in Philadelphia where both teams scored.
Ghana goalie Benjamin Asare briefly kept it a tie game on a diving stop off the top of his hand that sent the ball over the net but failed only a minute later to stop Vlai.
Vlai wagged his tongue and ran toward his teammates with outstretched arms in celebration.
Sui helped Croatia take a 1-0 lead into halftime in a game where a couple of near misses prevented it from building a more comfortable lead. Nikola Vlai bonked one of the posts earlier in the half, and Modric's cross on a free kick into the box was headed over the bar by Marin Pongrai.
Ghana seemed poised to tie the game late in the half when Antoine Semenyo beat his man and fired a shot that slid across the Kentucky bluegrass and went just wide of the left post.
Semenyo was one of the few prominent attackers in this tournament to go without a goal in the first three games. He finished third in the Premier League with 17 goals last season and was one of Manchester City's best players after it bought him from Bournemouth, yet couldn't connect in the World up against Panama, England and even Croatia's backline.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland have dazzled in the World Cup where every game has seemed like a showcase for the tournament's top stars.
The good news for Semenyo is, there's at least one more shot for him to bust through for Ghana.
