Your Sports Match

The first two spots in the Elite Eight are set. 🇲🇦🇫🇷

Morocco and France are through.

Today, two more teams will join them.

🇧🇷 Brazil vs. Norway 🇳🇴 — 4 PM ET
🇲🇽 Mexico vs. England 🏴 — 8 PM ET

The World Cup field keeps shrinking. Eight teams. One trophy.

The World Cup is down to the “Sweet 16.” ⚽🏆

Yeah, I know. Too much March Madness in my blood.

Officially, it’s the Round of 16. Eight games. Sixteen teams. And from here on out, it’s simple: win and advance, lose and go home.

🇨🇦 Canada vs Morocco 🇲🇦
🇵🇾 Paraguay vs France 🇫🇷
🇧🇷 Brazil vs Norway 🇳🇴
🇲🇽 Mexico vs England 🏴
🇵🇹 Portugal vs Spain 🇪🇸
🇺🇸 USA vs Belgium 🇧🇪
🇦🇷 Argentina vs Egypt 🇪🇬
🇨🇭 Switzerland vs Colombia 🇨🇴

Over the next four days, 16 teams become 8, setting the field for the quarterfinals.

No more complicated group standings. No more points or tiebreakers.

Just survive and advance.

Who are your eight?

Business trip. Just passing through Munich. 🇩🇪

But sports travel isn’t always just fun and games.

Hard not to remember what happened here in 1972.

I’ve made some incredible sports memories on my previous two trips to Germany:
⚽ First Bundesliga match — Hamburg, Nov. 2025
🏈 First NFL game in Germany — Berlin, Nov. 2025

And in 2026, I made it to Milan during the Winter Olympics. 🇮🇹

No sports this time. Just work.

But wherever I travel, sports history always seems to

Friends and family…

You’ve probably noticed I’ve been sharing a lot more Your Sports Match posts lately. I’m trying to build something I’ve believed in for a long time.

Your Sports Match is about helping traveling sports fans find their match in another city—someone who can share their favorite ballpark, sports bar, tailgate, traditions, or game-day experience.

If you’ve enjoyed what I’ve been posting, I’d really appreciate your help:

⚾ Please share my Your Sports Match Facebook posts so more sports fans can discover them.

🐦 Follow me on X: . I’m only a few followers away from my first milestone of 100 followers.

Every share, follow, like, and comment helps spread the word. Thank you for being part of this journey! ⚾🏈🏀⚽🌎

Last day of Round of 32.

Music groups and songs that come to mind (with apologies to Cape Verde and Ghana):

🎵 Men at Work — Down Under 🇦🇺
🎵 The Bangles — Walk Like an Egyptian 🇪🇬
🎵 Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina 🇦🇷
🎵 Shakira — Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) 🌍

Who’s making the quarterfinals today? ⚽

Where we are…..

12 of the “Sweet 16” teams have been determined.

One more match Thursday, then this round concludes Friday with the last three teams.

Today’s World Cup matches, all times Eastern.

What a Monday!

Two World Cup matches end in penalty shootouts, with two European powers going home.

What’s in store for Tuesday?

Sunday’s first Round of 32 match was an exciting one with Canada scoring a late goal to edge South Africa 1-0. The Reds move on to their next match here in Houston on Saturday, July 4.

The graphic shows the three matchups on tap for Monday.

⚽ World Cup – Knockout Stage Edition

Group play is over. 16 teams have gone home.
32 teams remain.

From here on out, think of it like March Madness:

🏆 Win and advance.
🏠 Lose and your World Cup is over.

A few things change:

• No more ties.
• If a match is tied after 90 minutes, it goes to 30 minutes of extra time.
• Still tied? A penalty shootout decides the winner.
• Instead of 4–6 matches per day, there will now be 1–3 matches per day, making it easier to follow.

🏆 The Final will be played July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

🥉 The 3rd-place match will be played the day before the Final.

🎤 For the first time, the World Cup Final will feature a Super Bowl-style halftime show. Madonna, Shakira, and BTS are expected to be part of the entertainment.

Now the real fun begins. Every match is survive and advance.