Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will both play on June 30 in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32. Mbappe features for France against Sweden in New Jersey, while Haaland plays for Norway against Ivory Coast in Dallas [1, 2].
Lionel Messi leads the tournament scoring chart with six goals. Mbappe and Haaland each have four goals at this stage and remain contenders for the Golden Boot [1, 2]. Mbappe has 16 World Cup career goals, three short of Messi's all-time record [1].
France topped their group by winning all three matches and scoring 10 goals, advancing comfortably to the knockout stage [1, 3, 4]. Coach Didier Deschamps plans to step down after the tournament, making the Round of 32 game a key moment in his tenure [1].
Norway is making its first World Cup appearance in 28 years. Haaland said, "this kind of pressure is huge as the team qualified for the first time since 1998, any success in this tournament is an extra bonus" [1]. Norway faces Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 after a long absence from the tournament [1, 2].
France faces a challenging road to the final, with possible knockout opponents including Sweden, Germany, Netherlands or Morocco, and Spain in the semifinal [3, 4].
South Korea failed to advance from the group stage, finishing ninth among the best third-placed teams. Their coach Hong Myung-bo resigned amid heavy criticism. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said, "We will quickly promote sports administrative reform to ensure such situations never happen again" [3, 4]. Former Taiwanese legislator Zheng Yunpeng expressed doubts on government involvement improving South Korea's results [3].
Cape Verde, a small African nation with about 550,000 people, advanced undefeated to the Round of 32. Their captain Ryan Mendes is under police investigation in New Zealand for alleged sexual assault [3, 4].
The Round of 32 matches begin today, June 30, with these key fixtures setting the tone for the knockout phase [1, 2].
