FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil Advance to R16, Heavyweights Germany, Netherlands Face Shock Exits

Morocco, Paraguay and Brazil Advance to FIFA World Cup Round of 16 – The Indian Awaaz

Last Updated on July 1, 2026 1:02 am by INDIAN AWAAZ In the FIFA World Cup, Morocco, and Paraguay have advanced to the Round of 16. Morocco defeated Netherlands 3-2 on penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw in Guadalupe, Mexico. Germany suffered a stunning exit after losing 3-4 to Paraguay in a penalty shootout in Boston, USA, following a 1-1 draw. Brazil has also been secured their place in the Round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Japan in Houston…

FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil advance to R16, heavyweights Germany, Netherlands face shock exits

It was a matchday of chaos as five-time champions Brazil marched to the round of 16 courtesy of an extra-time last-minute strike from Gabriel Martinelli, while heavyweights like four-time champions Germany and the Netherlands faced premature and shocking exits from the tournament to Paraguay and Morocco respectively. 2010 quarterfinalists Paraguay and 2022 semifinalists Morocco will get a chance to outdo their best finishes, but these come at the expense of top-ranked teams like the Netherlands (8) and Germany (10). For the first time ever, two top-ten nations have been knocked out in the first round of the knockout stage. -Brazil vs Japan (2-1) The Samurai Blue started off on a strong note defensively and continuously denied Brazil their early chances. Kaishu Sano produced a stunning bottom corner strike from the edge of the box in the 29th minute, taking Japan to a 1-0 lead at half-time. In the 56th minute, Casemiro headed home for an equaliser, but goalkeeper Zion Suzuki denied Vinicius Jr a goal. Six minutes into the extra six minutes, Bruno Guimares fed Martinelli, who wasted no time in delivering a clinical finish and Brazil a shot at the quarterfinals. Brazil's sensational win over Japan in their round of 32 match marked the first time since the 1978 FIFA World Cup that the five-time champions secured a win in a knockout match despite trailing at half-time. As per Opta Analyst, Casemiro (aged 34 years and 126 days) is the second-oldest goal-scorer for Brazil in the FIFA World Cup, behind Bebeto against Denmark in 1998 (34 years and 137 days). As per Opta Analyst, only Pele in the 1970 FIFA World Cup recorded more assists for the Men in Canary Yellow, with Bruno Guimaraes, slowly inching towards the numbers of the Brazil icon with four assists in the ongoing edition. -Germany vs Paraguay (1-1) [3-4 on penalties] Germany's post 2014 FIFA World Cup downfall continued as they crashed out in the round of 32 after being ousted in the group stage in their previous two editions. They suffered their first-ever FIFA World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout, having won each of their previous four shootouts at the tournament. It was also only their second defeat on penalties at a major international tournament, the first coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final (5-3), as per OptaJoe. Germany once again conceded an early lead, with Julio Ensico (42nd minute) striking for Paraguay; however, Kai Havertz levelled the scores just 12 minutes later. Scores were level at 1-1 heading into the extra time, and Germany thought they had secured a place in the Round of 16 when Tah headed home from a corner in the 101st minute of extra time. However, following a VAR review, referee Jalal Jayed disallowed the goal after ruling that Germany defender Waldemar Anton had impeded Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the build-up. The match went to penalties, where Paraguay came out on top 4-3, continuing the four-time world champions' woes at the big tournaments after the 2014 FIFA World Cup win. It was Jose Canale who hammered the match-winning kick. Germany has a long-standing clean sheet problem, having conceded in each of their last 10 FIFA World Cup matches, their worst-ever run without a clean sheet in their FIFA WC history. Their previous clean sheet came during the 1-0 win over Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. Manuel Neuer, who took back his international retirement and made a comeback in Germany colours after an acclaimed goalkeeping display with Bayern Munich, has struggled to make a massive impact, being unable to keep a clean sheet even against debutants Curacao in their campaign opener. Germany eventually won the match 7-1, but Curacao's quick equaliser had sent tensions in the German camp. Trailing early on against Ivory Coast and succumbing 2-1 to Ecuador despite Leroy Sane's second-minute strike also other points where goalkeeping left more to be desired. It was also only their second defeat on penalties at a major international tournament, the first coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final (5-3), as per OptaJoe. The result also ranks among the biggest knockout upsets in modern World Cup history. Germany entered the tournament ranked 10th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Paraguay were 41st, a gap of 31 places. -Netherlands 1-1 Morocco [2-3 on penalties] The stalemate was long, but Cody Gakpo, battling a highly personal loss, responded with a 72nd-minute strike. Gakpo, who had just lost his unborn child to a miscarriage, scored a highly important goal in the face of personal adversity. However, on the brink of the full-time whistle, Issa Diop spoiled the party with an equaliser. After another half hour of no goals, things headed to penalties, with Bart Verbruggen repelling one and Yassine Bounou stopping two. Ismael Saibari, who had scored in all of Morocco's group stage matches so far, hit the decisive penalty to continue Morocco's deep run. Now, Gakpo has six FIFA World Cup goals, tied with legends Dennis Bergkamp, Wesley Sneijder, Rob Rensenbrink, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie. The all-time leading goal-scorer for the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup is Johnny Rep with seven. Gakpo's heroics, however, were not enough to save his team from elimination. In the next fixture in Round 16, Morocco will face Canada on July 4. Winners of Round 32 will decide who will face Brazil and Paraguay in Round 16 fixtures. (ANI)

FIFA World Cup 2026: Germany, Netherlands' exit creates rare top 10 ranked team elimination record in WC

The ongoing FIFA World Cup continues to script history, as for the first time ever, two top-10 ranked FIFA teams have been eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage of the tournament. As per ESPN, the exit of Germany (ranked number 10) and the Netherlands (ranked number eight) on penalties marked the exit of two top-10 FIFA teams in the first round of the knockout stage in the tournament for the first time ever. African giants Morocco kept their FIFA World Cup 2026 dream alive with a thrilling 3-2 penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands after the sides were locked at 1-1 following extra time in a gripping Round of 32 encounter on Monday (local time). Germany's post 2014 FIFA World Cup downfall continued as they crashed out in the round of 32 after being ousted in the group stage in their previous two editions. They suffered their first-ever FIFA World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout, having won each of their previous four shootouts at the tournament. It was also only their second defeat on penalties at a major international tournament, the first coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final (5-3), as per OptaJoe. Scores were level at 1-1 heading into the extra time, and Germany thought they had secured a place in the Round of 16 when Tah headed home from a corner in the 101st minute of extra time. However, following a VAR review, referee Jalal Jayed disallowed the goal after ruling that Germany defender Waldemar Anton had impeded Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the build-up. The match went to penalties, where Paraguay came out on top 5-3, continuing the four-time world champions' woes at the big tournaments after the 2014 FIFA World Cup win. Coming to the Morocco versus Netherlands clash, after a tightly contested first half with few clear-cut chances, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 72nd minute with Cody Gakpo scoring for Netherlands. The Netherlands appeared set to progress until Morocco produced a dramatic response in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Chemsdine Talbi delivered a teasing cross into the penalty area, where Issa Diop rose highest to power a header past the goalkeeper and level the score at 1-1, silencing the Dutch supporters. The equaliser shifted the momentum in Morocco's favour, but neither side managed to create a decisive opportunity during the additional 30 minutes of extra time. Both teams remained disciplined defensively, forcing the contest to be settled by penalties. The shootout proved to be a tense affair. Players from both teams missed two penalties each, while Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou once again demonstrated his penalty-saving reputation by correctly diving to deny Crysencio Summerville. With the scores level, Ismael Saibari stepped up to take Morocco's decisive penalty and calmly converted, sealing a 3-2 shootout victory and sparking jubilant celebrations among the Moroccan players and fans. (ANI)