World Cup Round of 16 Takes Shape as France, Norway and Mexico Advance

France, Norway and Mexico booked their places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after winning their Round of 32 matches on Tuesday, 30 June.

The three victories see the trio join Canada, Brazil, Paraguay and Morocco in the next stage of the tournament.

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Norway edge Ivory Coast

Norway defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in a closely contested encounter.

Antonio Nusa opened the scoring with a curling first-half strike before Amad Diallo equalised for Ivory Coast in the 74th minute.

Erling Haaland had the final say, scoring the winner in the 86th minute to send Norway into the Round of 16.

France cruise past Sweden

France produced one of the standout performances of the knockout stage, beating Sweden 3-0.

Kylian Mbappé scored twice, finding the net in the 45th and 74th minutes, while Bradley Barcola added France’s other goal as Les Bleus comfortably secured their place in the next round.

Mexico end knockout drought

Co-hosts Mexico celebrated a memorable 2-0 victory over Ecuador at the Azteca Stadium after the match was delayed for an hour by a storm.

Julián Quiñones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Raúl Jiménez doubled the advantage nine minutes later.

The victory ends Mexico’s 40-year knockout-stage drought and sends the hosts into the Round of 16.

Teams through to the Round of 16

The following teams have now qualified:

• Canada
• Brazil
• Paraguay
• Morocco
• Norway
• France
• Mexico

Today’s World Cup fixtures

Three more Round of 32 matches take place on Wednesday, 1 July.

England vs DR Congo

• 18:00 SAST
• Atlanta, USA

Belgium vs Senegal

• 22:00 SAST
• Seattle, USA

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

• 02:00 SAST (Thursday)
• Santa Clara, USA

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