​The 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 wrapped up on July 7, with 16 teams advancing to the knockout phase. The tournament opened with Manchester City boasting a substantial presence, as 18 players from the Premier League side represented 12 different nations. By the end of the group stage, 17 City stars across 11 nations had qualified for the first knockout round, and 11 of those players across seven nations moved on to the Round of 16.
The Round of 32 also signaled the exit of six Manchester City players, among them Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders for the Netherlands, Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol for Croatia, Rayan Ait-Nouri for Algeria, and Antoine Semenyo for Ghana.
Turning to the World Cup Round of 16 highlights for Manchester City players, France edged Paraguay 1-0 in the Philadelphia Stadium on July 4. After a tense, goalless first half, the decisive goal came from captain Kylian Mbappe via a penalty in the 70th minute, awarded after Desire Doue was fouled by Paraguay’s Diego Gomez in the 18-yard box. Off the bench, Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki replaced Ousmane Dembele in the 84th minute. Cherki has appeared in all five matches so far, though he has yet to start in his debut World Cup campaign.
In another Round of 16 clash, Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on July 5. Brazil were awarded a penalty when Matheus Cunha drew a foul on Norwegian defender Kristoffer Ajer, but Bruno Guimaraes failed to convert the spot kick in the 14th minute, and the half remained goalless. Haaland opened the scoring for Norway with a spectacular header set up by Andreas Schjelderup in the 79th minute. He then struck again with a left-footed effort from outside the box, guided into the bottom right corner by another Schjelderup assist in the 90th minute. Brazil’s only reply came through Neymar, who converted a late penalty after Leo Ostigard was adjudged to have fouled him in stoppage time of the second half. In total, Haaland has tallied seven goals in four World Cup appearances, including three braces, placing him alongside Kylian Mbappe as joint leaders in the 2026 Golden Boot race.
England also advanced to the quarterfinals, securing a 3-2 victory over Mexico at the Mexico City Stadium on July 6. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for England with a close-range header following a cross from Bukayo Saka in the 36th minute. The 23-year-old midfielder continued to contribute notably as England pursued the victory, while the team’s offensive pressure helped them overturn a Mexican rally and advance further in the tournament.