Morocco and Brazil Advance to the Round of 32 as Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina Join Them

The final round of the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup got underway in dramatic fashion, with several teams securing their places in the Round of 32 after a series of entertaining matches filled with goals and momentum swings.

In Group C, Morocco claimed an exciting 4-2 victory over Haiti despite falling behind twice during the match. Having already been eliminated from the race for qualification, the Caribbean side played without pressure and stunned the Atlas Lions with an early goal in the 10th minute. Lény Joseph capitalized on a well-worked move that ended with Yassine Bounou parrying the ball into his path before he converted the rebound.

Morocco responded by creating a number of chances, but Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide made several excellent saves to keep his side in front. Six minutes before half-time, captain Achraf Hakimi equalized after reacting quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area. Haiti restored their lead shortly afterwards through a superb long-range strike from Wilson Isidor in the 43rd minute.

The Atlas Lions refused to head into the break behind and found another equalizer in first-half stoppage time when Ismael Saibari converted a low cross from Hakimi.

Morocco dominated possession after the restart and eventually completed the turnaround in the 78th minute when Soufiane Rahimi scored from a corner after Haiti failed to clear the danger. Yassine Jassim then sealed the victory with a fourth goal a minute before full-time, finishing off a swift counter-attack led by Rahimi to send Morocco through to the knockout stage as runners-up in the group.

In the other Group C fixture, Brazil continued their impressive form by defeating Scotland 3-0 to secure top spot. Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring early following a defensive mistake before adding his second goal in first-half stoppage time. Matheus Cunha then wrapped up the victory with Brazil’s third goal after the interval.

Although Scotland attempted to fight their way back into the contest, goalkeeper Alisson Becker preserved a clean sheet, while Neymar’s late appearance gave the Brazilian supporters another reason to celebrate as the Seleção advanced as group winners.

In Group B, Switzerland claimed top spot with a 2-1 victory over Canada. Young midfielder Johan Manzambi starred by contributing directly to both Swiss goals, helping his side finish the group stage with seven points.

In the group’s other match, Bosnia and Herzegovina kept their hopes alive of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams by defeating Qatar 3-1. Young talent Kerim Alajbegović opened the scoring before Edin Džeko played a decisive role in Bosnia’s second goal. Although Hassan Al Haydos reduced the deficit for Qatar, Bosnia sealed the win with a third goal late in the match to preserve their chances of reaching the knockout rounds.

Mexico Finish with a Perfect Record

In Group A, Mexico completed a flawless group-stage campaign by defeating Czechia 3-0 to finish with maximum points. After a balanced first half, Mateo Chávez opened the scoring early in the second period before Julián Quiñones doubled the lead. Álvaro Fidalgo added the third goal in stoppage time. The match also marked veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s sixth FIFA World Cup appearance.

In the other Group A encounter, South Africa made history by reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time after defeating South Korea 1-0 thanks to a goal from Thapelo Maseko. Bafana Bafana successfully protected their lead until the final whistle to secure the second qualification spot from the group behind Mexico.