World Cup Round of 32 Begins: England vs Congo DR, USA vs Bosnia and Argentina vs Cape Verde This Week

[DiamondDallas]

The FIFA World Cup knockout stage begins on Sunday June 28 with Canada facing South Africa in the day's opening match. The week ahead contains some of the tournament's most anticipated matchups. England face Congo DR in Atlanta on July 1 in what on paper looks like the most accessible path possible from Group L's top spot but presents the genuine threat of Yoane Wissa. The USA face Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco on July 1, their first knockout game at a home tournament and the tie Christian Pulisic and team have been preparing for. Argentina take on Cape Verde in Miami on July 3 in one of the most absurd mismatches in World Cup knockout history on paper, though Cape Verde's three draws and historic qualification make them neutrals' favourites for an upset.

The round of 32 also features Spain versus Austria on July 2 in Los Angeles, where Austria arrive as group stage survivors playing above their expectations and Spain come in as one of the tournament's top three favourites. Portugal face Croatia in Toronto on the same day in what looks like the most technically sophisticated round of 32 match on the schedule. France play Sweden on June 30 at MetLife Stadium. Germany face Algeria in Vancouver on July 2.

The knockout stage format under the new Wimbledon-style seeding means group winners have been kept apart from each other and the path to the final involves a genuinely graded increase in difficulty. England's potential opponents going forward from the round of 32 would be Belgium or Senegal in the last 16, avoiding Portugal, Spain, France and Argentina until the semi-finals at the earliest. The bracket gives the England camp genuine reason for optimism if they beat Congo DR convincingly.

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