The World Cup Round of 32 Is Loaded With Cinderella Runs, And The USMNT Wants Its Own

The group stage is over, and the 2026 World Cup just got serious now. The Round of 32 opened Sunday in Los Angeles, and co-host Canada wasted no time, beating South Africa 1-0 on a Stephen Eustaquio strike in stoppage time to become the first team into the Round of 16, with star Alphonso Davis making his tournament debut off the bench. From here, every match is a win-or-go-home. The group stage spent two weeks setting that stage, and it did not go quietly. By the time it ended, a two-time world champion was already packing to go home, and the United States was sitting comfortably among the teams still standing.

The group stage already delivered its biggest shock

Uruguay is the name that will define this group stage. Macelo Bielsa’s side, ranked among the best teams in the world and a knockout regular for a century, crashed out of the competition with just two points, its earliest exit since 2002. A 1-0 loss to Spain sealed it, the goal arriving when veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera turned an Alex Baena shot into his own net, and Bielsa pulled him at halftime as the night came apart. “They’ll remember me as someone who left nothing,” Bielsa said afterward. The team that knocked out Uruguay tells the better story. Cape Verde, a tiny island nation in its first World Cup, advanced without winning a single game, drawing all three, behind 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who became a breakout star by shutting out Spain, and now meets Lionel Messi’s Argentina. They are one of nine African nations in the bracket, more than any World Cup before it, and not the only underdog still dancing. Ecuador stunned a star-studded German side, while Scotland ended a 28-year drought just to qualify, but still didn’t make it past the group stage, sadly.

A real chance for the USMNT to build momentum

Fortunately enough, the United States avoided all that drama. Mauricio Pochettino’s team won Group D with a game in hand, then rested its starters in a needless 2-3 loss to an eliminated Turkish side that meant nothing to the table. This is where the real competition begins for us. The Americans will face Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday in Santa Clara. By all metrics, this is a winnable game that should carry us into the Round of 16. Bosnia still has veteran striker Edin Dzeko (although he isn’t as sharp as he used to be) and enough quality to punish a sloppy night. Still, the Americans will have the home advantage of the Bay Area crowd cheering from the stands as the 12th man on the pitch. The Turkey loss was a warning. The defense lost its shape for long stretches, and the backups could not protect a late lead. Pochettino needs his first-choice eleven sharp, and the biggest reason for optimism is Christian Pulisic, who returned from a calf injury against Turkey and looked dangerous. A win on Wednesday, and the U.S. will most likely draw the winner of the Belgium-Senegal match.

The must-watch matches of the Round of 32

The bracket is loaded with matchups that need no selling. Messi’s Argentina against Cinderella Cape Verde is the exact David and Goliath story this tournament was built for. Portugal and Croatia will replay the 2016 European final, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric somehow still leading their countries. Brazil meets a dangerous Japanese team, France and its frightening attack draw Sweden, and Mexico hosts Ecuador at a roaring Estadio Azteca. Any one of them could produce the moment everybody is talking about the next morning.

This is what the expanded World Cup was supposed to deliver: a month of one-game seasons where a single mistake ends everything. Uruguay just learned that the hard way. The United States has a clear path and a returning star, but the same margin that swallowed a two-time champion is waiting in Santa Clara. The group stage was just a warm-up; going forward, the tournament keeps only those who earned it.