FLASH
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After two weeks of intense competition and multiple matches every day, the 2026 World Cup is entering a new phase of the competition. With the group stage complete, the tournament moves on to the knockout stage, where every match will be crucial to continuing the journey towards the trophy.
Unlike the previous schedule, when fans were able to watch up to four matches a day, Sunday will feature just one match. This change comes as a result of the move to the round of 32, a new addition to the expanded World Cup format, which will feature 48 national teams for the first time.
The first match of the knockout stage will be played on Sunday, June 28, at SoFi Stadium in California, where Canada will face South Africa. The match kicks off at 21:00 CET and will go down in history as the first single-elimination stage match in the tournament's new format.
FIFA has opted for a gradual transition from the group stage to the knockout stage, scheduling just one match on Sunday. According to organizers, this allows teams more time for travel, physical recovery and preparation for the decisive challenges. The tournament will continue on Monday with another match, and then the schedule will return to two or three matches per day.
The change is particularly noticeable after the first two weeks of the competition, when matches were played at a high pace. For European fans, many of them were played late in the evening or at night.
The knockout stage marks the start of matches where any mistake could prove fatal, while each victory brings the teams one step closer to the World Cup final.
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