Nashville and Tigres play the first round of the semifinal

Monterrey is preparing to host one of the most attractive duels of the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The Netherlands and Morocco will meet on Monday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. (central Mexico) at the Rayados stadium.

The match corresponds to the cross between the leader of Group F and the second place in Group C. The Netherlands secured first place after beating Tunisia 3-1. For its part, Morocco finished second in Group C, only surpassed by Brazil on goal difference. Both added seven points and tied in the direct duel.

The Monterrey fans were looking forward to a direct elimination match in their city. The presence of Clockwork Orange in the Rayados building had become an illusion that is now fulfilled.

The meeting promises intensity. The Netherlands arrives with its characteristic fluid attack, while Morocco has shown defensive solidity and the ability to take advantage of counterattacks. It will be a duel of styles between the European tactical order and the African grit.

Tickets for the match are already sold out. Local authorities have arranged mobility and security operations to receive thousands of fans who will arrive from different parts of the country and abroad.

The Australian team sealed its ticket to the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup. It did so after drawing 0-0 with Paraguay at the San Francisco Bay Stadium, within Group D.

Classification assured

With this result, the Socceroos added four points, enough to secure second place in the sector. The defensive order was enough to neutralize the South American attacks during the 90 minutes.

Paraguay also closed the group stage with four units. However, the tiebreaker criteria relegated him to third place. Now the Guaraní squad will have to wait for the other groups to close to find out if they enter among the eight best third places that advance to the next round.

The tie reflected a close match, where neither team managed to break the zero. Australia fulfilled its objective of qualifying, while Paraguay awaits the remaining results.

The United States team lost 3-2 to Türkiye at SoFi Stadium, but secured its ticket to the round of 32. The European team said goodbye to the tournament with a victory in its last match.

Party development

The game started at a slow pace. In the 2nd minute, Auston Trusty took advantage of a corner kick to open the scoring. Türkiye reacted quickly: in the 10th minute, Arda Güler, from Real Madrid, equalized after a defensive oversight.

The United States tried to regain the lead, but a goal disallowed for offside in the 29th minute baffled them. Türkiye capitalized: in the 32nd minute, Orkun Kökçü turned the score around (2-1). With that result the first half ended, amid complaints from the Los Angeles fans.

In the second half, Sebastián Berhalter equalized in the 48th minute to make it 2-2. The US coach sent Alejandro Zendejas to the field to look for greater offensive depth, but an injury to Trusty in the 90th minute threw the defense out of balance. In stoppage time, Kaan Ayhan scored the final 3-2.

Implications

The defeat raises doubts about the team’s performance heading into the next phase, although qualification is already assured.