[Saba Sports News] All Round of 32 matches of this World Cup have concluded, and the full list of teams for the Round of 16 has been officially confirmed. Although the Netherlands and Germany suffered shock early exits, European sides still account for half of the Round of 16 line-up with seven representatives, alongside four South American teams. Meanwhile, all three co-hosts successfully navigated the first knockout round to advance. The final two spots went to African nations. With Japan and Australia eliminated, no AFC teams remain in the competition, marking the continent’s worst World Cup performance in the past 12 years. Notably, among the eight teams that qualified for the Round of 32 as third-placed group finishers, only Paraguay pulled off an upset by knocking out Germany; the other seven have all been eliminated. Brazil have reached the World Cup Round of 16 for a record 13 times, more than any other national team, while Argentina sit second with 11 appearances at this stage. Spain follow Argentina with ten Round of 16 berths, the same tally as eliminated Germany.
The editor believes that three blockbuster clashes are set to take centre stage in the upcoming World Cup Round of 16. The biggest highlight is undoubtedly the highly anticipated Iberian Derby between Spain and Portugal. In addition, England will travel to the high-altitude venue to take on host nation Mexico, who have maintained a clean sheet throughout the tournament, making it an extremely tough fixture. Meanwhile, the star-studded encounter between Brazil and Norway is also highly anticipated.