World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Results: Magic and Red-Card Drama

Norway break their curse — Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway

For a nation that had waited a generation, this was the sweetest night of all. Antonio Nusa curled Norway ahead just before half-time with a strike of real beauty, silencing the doubters and sending the travelling Norwegian fans into raptures.

But the drama was only beginning. Amad Diallo, brilliant all evening, sliced through the Norwegian defence to level it and break Norwegian hearts — for a while. Because when the game was crying out for a hero, up stepped the man who had waited his whole career for this stage. Erling Haaland, quiet for long spells, pounced in the closing minutes to bundle home the winner — his fifth goal of the tournament — and spark scenes of unbridled joy.

It is Norway’s first knockout win in World Cup history, and it sets up a colossal Round of 16 date with Brazil on July 5. Ivory Coast, so brave and so dominant in patches, are heartbreakingly out — a cruel end for the African champions.

France flex their muscles — France 3-0 Sweden

If Norway’s win was about emotion, France’s was a cold, clinical statement of intent. After a nervy start, the tournament favourites simply took over, and Kylian Mbappé was unstoppable. His two goals fired France to a commanding 3-0 victory and sent an ominous warning to the rest of the field.

Mbappé’s brace also carried a personal prize: it lifted him to the summit of the Golden Boot race and to within a single goal of Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list. Sweden, for all the promise of Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, were kept at arm’s length and could not find a way through a France side that suddenly looks every inch a champion. Les Bleus march on to face the giant-killers of Paraguay.

The Azteca roars — then boils over — Mexico 2-0 Ecuador

There is no atmosphere in world football quite like the Estadio Azteca on a World Cup night, and the co-hosts gave their people exactly what they craved. Julián Quiñones struck in the 22nd minute and Raúl Jiménez doubled the lead moments later, and the great old cathedral shook with noise. Mexico, unbeaten at the Azteca across three World Cups, were sharp, hungry and utterly in control.

But the night turned spiky late on. In a chippy finish, Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié was shown a straight red card in stoppage time after covering his mouth during a heated exchange with Santiago Giménez — an automatic dismissal under the tournament’s rules, and a decision that will spark plenty of debate. Kendry Páez was booked for a hard foul, and tempers frayed as the seconds ticked down.

There was refereeing controversy of another kind, too: an Ecuador effort that deflected off the post was ruled a goal kick and could not be reviewed, a quirk of the laws that left many baffled — corner decisions are reviewable by VAR, but goal-kick calls are not. It made little sense to the watching world.

None of it changed the outcome. Mexico held firm for a 2-0 win and will face the winner of England versus DR Congo — back at the Azteca — with a nation dreaming.