The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has now entered its thrilling knockout stage with the round of thirty-two matches. Last night featured a solitary fixture, where Canada secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Africa in Los Angeles, scoring in extra time.

Out of the 48 nations that began the competition, 16 were European. This group included France, the two-time champions from 1998 and 2018, and reigning vice-champions. Following the previous round’s eliminations of the Czech Republic, Scotland, and Turkey, 13 European teams remain in contention for the coveted trophy.

As the tournament progresses, we provide a daily barometer tracking the performances and significant developments concerning the European squads. Here’s a summary of the key events for European teams on this eighteenth day, Sunday, June 28.

The stat of the day 📊

215

After 72 group stage matches played over 16 days, the total number of goals scored in a single World Cup edition has already been surpassed. Before the first round of thirty-two match last night, a remarkable 215 goals had been recorded, averaging 2.99 goals per game. This achievement significantly outpaces the previous record of 172 goals set during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It is worth noting, of course, that earlier tournaments typically featured a maximum of 64 matches with 32 teams, in contrast to the current North American World Cup, which hosts 48 teams across 104 fixtures.

The quote 🎙️

I couldn’t place it on a map. In fact, I know nothing about that country and I don’t want to know.

Abigail Vélez, American journalist for local channel ABC7 Los Angeles

This brief statement quickly garnered significant attention. While reporting live from Long Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles, American journalist Abigail Vélez commented on the upcoming July 2nd match between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina. She candidly admitted to knowing nothing about the European nation (which is a candidate for EU membership, though not yet a member).

The clip rapidly spread across social media, with the “Bosnian Football” account sharing the excerpt, which has since been viewed over 8 million times. The comments were particularly awkward given that Almin Karamehmedovic, the head of news for the entire ABC network, was born in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In response to the widespread criticism, the journalist subsequently issued an apology.

Under the spotlight 🔎

For French supporters remaining in Europe, there’s good news: the France national team will not play any matches beyond 11 PM (French time), regardless of their progression through the tournament, even if they reach the final.

Les Bleus are set to kick off their knockout phase against Sweden on Tuesday at 11 PM. Should they advance, they would then face the winner of the Germany versus Paraguay match, also at 11 PM, on July 4th, which coincides with America’s national holiday.

Their potential quarter-final is scheduled for Thursday, July 9th, at 10 PM, followed by a possible semi-final on Tuesday, July 14th, at 9 PM. The grand final itself is slated for Sunday, July 19th, also at 9 PM.

European football news 📰

A prediction that might not please German supporters comes from England’s Gary Lineker, the top scorer of the 1986 World Cup with six goals. Lineker views France as the overwhelming favorite to win this North American World Cup. 

In an interview with L’Équipe, he confidently stated his belief regarding a potential Round of 16 clash between Germany and France. The former striker is convinced of an easy victory for Les Bleus against what he described as “one of the weakest German national teams” he has ever witnessed.

As a reminder, the Mannschaft is scheduled to challenge Paraguay at Gillette Stadium (Foxborough) this Monday, June 29th, at 10:30 PM in their Round of 32 encounter.