The final two matches in the Round of 16 will take place on Tuesday at the FIFA World Cup as we near the final eight teams set to compete for the world title.
Let’s take a closer look at what to expect.
Argentina vs. Egypt – Atlanta Stadium
12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on TSN1/3/4, TSN.ca and TSN App
Defending champion Argentina, ranked second in the world, will be heavy favourites when they take on No. 23 Egypt in this Round of 16 matchup, but don’t expect it to be a cakewalk for Lionel Messi’s side.
No. 64-ranked Cabo Verde gave Argentina everything they could handle in the Round of 32, sending the game to extra time where they allowed the go-ahead goal in the 92nd minute before tying the contest in dramatic fashion 10 minutes later with a beautiful equalizer from Sidny Lopes Cabral.
Argentina finally put the nail in the coffin in the 111th minute via an own goal by Cabo Verde.
Messi, who opened the scoring against Cabo Verde, is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland for the tournament led in goals with seven.
The 39-year-old Messi has scored the most goals in World Cup history with 20 (in 30 matches), one ahead of Mbappé, who has played 11 fewer games.
All-time Leading Scorers at FIFA World Cup
| Player (Country) | World Cup Goals (World Cup Games) |
|---|---|
| Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 20 (30) |
| Kylian Mbappe (France) | 19 (19) |
| Miroslav Klose (Germany) | 16 (24) |
| Ronaldo (Brazil) | 15 (19) |
| Gerd Muller (Germany) | 14 (13) |
| Harry Kane (England) | 14 (16) |
| Just Fontaine (France) | 13 (6) |
| Pele (Brazil) | 12 (14) |
| Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) | 11 (26) |
| Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany/Germany) | 11 (17) |
| Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) | 11 (5) |
BOLD = Active Player
Argentina has won all four of their games at this year’s FIFA World Cup, taking care of Algeria (3-0), Austria (2-0) and Jordan (3-1) to win Group J ahead of the knockout stage.
La Albiceleste is looking to win their fourth World Cup, which would pull them into a tie with Germany and Italy for second, one title behind Brazil for the all-time lead.
Egypt won’t get any sort of advantage from Argentina playing extra soccer as the Pharaohs needed extra time and then penalties as well to get past Australia in the Round of 32.
Click here for the full World Cup bracket.
Emam Ashour scored in the 13th minute to give Egypt the early lead before the Aussies tied the contest 10 minutes into the second half with an own goal. After neither side was able to score in over 30 minutes of extra time, Egypt was able to win 4-2 on penalties for the nation’s greatest World Cup result in history.
They finished second in Group G action after drawing Belgium 1-1, beating New Zealand 3-1 and drawing Iran, 1-1.
This is Egypt’s fourth appearance at the tournament with their lone appearance in the Round of 16 coming way back in 1934.
This could be the last World Cup game for one of two soccer legends.
Messi, competing in his sixth World Cup, could very well be playing in his last tournament with the national team, while 34-year-old Mohamed Salah is in the similar situation given his age and the fact Egypt has no guarantees of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup.
The Liverpool legend has scored one group-stage at this year’s World Cup and is one goal away from tying Hossam Hassan for most goals in Egyptian history with 69.
The winner of this game will take on the winner of Tuesday afternoon’s Round of 16 matchup between Switzerland and Colombia in the quarter-final on July 11 at Kansas City Stadium.
Switzerland vs. Colombia – Vancouver Stadium
4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT across the TSN Network, CTV, Crave, TSN.ca and TSN App
The Round of 16 comes to a close with the final game on Canadian soil.
Following Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia, a total of 13 games at the FIFA World Cup will have taken place in Canada, including seven at Vancouver’s BC Place.
No. 15 Switzerland have found a second home in Vancouver as this will be their third straight game in the city.
The Swiss defeated Canada, 2-1, in their group-stage finale to take Group B before handling Alegria, 2-0, in the Round of 32 last week.
Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye scored the goals against Algeria at BC Place as Switzerland is starting to look like a dark horse with three straight impressive wins following a disappointing 1-1 draw against Qatar in their World Cup opening last month.
At just 20, SC Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi has started the past two games for Switzerland and holds the team lead with three goals for the tournament.
The Round of 16 has been a familiar end point for Switzerland at recent World Cups as they’ve been eliminated at this stage in five of their last six appearances. Most recently, they were embarrassed by Portugal, 6-1, in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Switzerland made it to the World Cup quarter-finals in 1934, 1938 and 1954, but never further.
Click here for the full World Cup bracket.
Colombia, ranked11th, are coming off a 1-0 victory over Ghana in the Round of 32. Jhon Arias scored in the 14th minute for the game’s lone goal as Colombia held 62 per cent of the possession and had eight shots on target in comparison to none by Ghana.
Los Cafeteros has been incredible defensively at this year’s World Cup, conceding just a single goal over four games.
They finished first in Group K thanks to a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, a 1-0 win over DR Congo and a scoreless draw against Portugal.
Colombia has scored five times, led by Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz, who has two.
Colombian football legend James Rodríguez, 34, has yet to find the back of the net in his third World Cup. Rodríguez, who became a national hero with six goals at the 2014 World Cup, didn’t score in Colombia’s last World Cup appearance in 2018 as he dealt with injury.
With a victory, Colombia can reach the quarters for just the second time in history. They fell to host Brazil in the quarter-final at the 2014 World Cup.
The winner here will be matched up with the winner between Argentina and Egypt, taking place earlier Tuesday, in the next round.
