World Cup Bracket Challenge: Seven HUGE knockout match-ups that could happen, including England v Mexico and Argentina v Portugal

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Here are some of the biggest potential match-ups ahead of us at the 2026 summer spectacular in North America, with the TNT Sports World Cup Bracket Challenge showing us how.

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The expansion of the World Cup to a 48-team format has completely transformed how we predict the tournament tree. With 12 groups of four, the traditional pathway to glory has been ripped up and replaced by a gruelling 32-team knockout format.

For the first time in history, nations like England, France and Brazil will have to negotiate an additional round of single-elimination matches just to reach the round of 16.

What does this mean for football fans? It means predictability is out of the window, and high-stakes clashes are lurking much earlier than before.

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A single slip-up or an unexpected second-placed finish in the group stage will trigger an immediate domino effect, shifting heavyweights across the tournament grid and throwing them onto new collision courses.

While a flawless group-stage run keeps the top seeds separated on opposite sides of the tree, the introduction of eight wildcard slots for the best third-placed teams injects total mathematical volatility into the draw.

As you sit down to map out your predictions, understanding these fixed structural pathways and potential group-stage twists is essential.

We have broken down five massive potential knockout clashes to help you with your tournament predictions, with the TNT Sports World Cup Bracket Challenge able to show you just how they could happen.

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Mexico v England - Last 16

When: July 6, 01:00 BST
Where: Mexico City
How: Mexico win Group A; England win Group L; both sides reach last 16

It is a testament to the quality of the 2026 FIFA World Cup that England could not put a foot wrong at the tournament and still end up with one of their toughest last-16 ties in living memory.

If they finish top of Group L and win their subsequent round-of-32 fixture, then they may have to go head-to-head with one of the hosts, Mexico.

To make matters worse for Thomas Tuchel's team, the venue for the match will be the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

If the summer sun and the partisan home crowd aren't enough to strike fear into the hearts of England fans up and down the country, perhaps the weight of history will.

The Estadio Azteca was the venue for England's iconic 2-1 defeat against Argentina in 1986, which saw Diego Maradona produce the 'Hand of God' before scoring one of the greatest goals in World Cup history.

However, it is also worth noting that England's only other meeting with Mexico at a World Cup came in 1966.

The venue is a huge part of the appeal to this match, but unfortunately, the last 16 will be the last stop at the famous ground during the tournament, so fingers crossed the stars align and fans are treated to what would be a clash for the ages.

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Portugal v Argentina - Quarter-finals

When: July 12, 02:00 BST
Where: Kansas City
How: Portugal win Group K; Argentina win Group J; both sides reach last eight

This could be the last chance to watch Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo compete at a World Cup.

If the two legends do call time on their illustrious international careers this summer, then Portugal against Argentina would be the perfect climax to one of sport's greatest rivalries.

There are a variety of different scenarios that could see these two behemoths go head-to-head.

However, the most straightforward would be for the two teams to top their respective groups before coming out on top in the round of 32 and round of 16.

That would set the stage for Messi and Ronaldo to collide in Kansas City, the first time the pair have played against each other at the World Cup.

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Senegal v Morocco - Last 16

When: July 4, 18:00 BST
Where: East Rutherford
How: Morocco win Group C; Senegal are Group I runners-up; both sides reach last 16

Speaking of sporting rivalries, who would not want to see Senegal and Morocco settle old scores in the last 16?

Just 12 months ago, this fixture could have been seen as one for the hipsters, a meeting of two incredibly talented outside shots that stood little to no chance of winning the tournament.

However, that all changed during the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, where Senegal stormed off the pitch after Morocco were awarded an incredibly contentious stoppage-time penalty.

Brahim Diaz missed that spot kick in bizarre circumstances before Pape Gueye's phenomenal extra-time strike secured victory on the night for Senegal, though Morocco have since been declared the winners due to the chaotic scenes.

Now they could face off once again in the last 16 of the World Cup to decide who truly is the best team in Africa.

Alternatively, they could meet in the quarter-finals if Senegal top their group and Morocco finish second.

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Brazil v Netherlands - Last 32

When: June 29, 18:00 BST OR June 30, 02:00 BST
Where: Houston OR Guadalupe
How: Brazil win Group C and Netherlands are Group F runners-up OR Netherlands win Group F and Brazil are Group C runners-up

This historic World Cup rivalry is set up to ignite seriously early in the 2026 format, because of the brand-new round-of-32 knockout phase.

The tournament tree has paired these two groups up for the first elimination stage, dictating that the winners of Group C face the runners-up of Group F.

If Brazil hold serve to top Group C, and a resurgent Japan or Sweden manage to pip the Dutch to the top spot in Group F, Netherlands will drop straight into a massive round-of-32 tie against the Selecao.

Flip the script, and the exact same early drama takes place: if Netherlands top Group F while Brazil stumble into second place in Group C behind a team like Morocco or Scotland, the match is simply moved to a parallel slot in the round of 32.

For fans playing the Bracket Challenge, this section of the draw represents a point where two genuine tournament heavyweights can meet early on.

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Portugal v England - Last 16

When: July 3, 00:00 BST
Where: Toronto
How: Portugal are Group K runners-up; England are Group L runners-up

A repeat of England’s infamous Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 penalty heartbreaks is highly possible, but under the new tournament guidelines, it relies on one of them failing to win their group.

Portugal spearhead Group K, while England are favourites to top Group L. FIFA's bracket dictates that the runners-up of Group K play the runners-up of Group L.

If both European giants suffer a minor slip-up and finish second in their groups, they will not merely complicate their routes - they will face each other in an immediate, high-stakes round-of-32 knockout match.

Alternatively, the clash could be pushed into the next phase via the wildcard slots. If England win Group L comfortably, but Portugal suffer a group-stage shock and only manage to scrape through as one of the eight best third-placed teams out of Group K, the bracket can place them directly into England’s path for a round-of-16 showdown.

Trying to calculate how those third-placed wildcards shake out is exactly what makes finalising your Bracket Challenge selections so unpredictable.

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Germany v France - Last 16

When: July 4, 18:00 BST
Where: Houston
How: Germany win Group E; France win Group I; both sides reach last 16

Germany against France is another stalwart fixture at the World Cup.

The two nations have met on four previous occasions and have six World Cups between them.

This time around, they could meet in the last 16 in Houston, but only if both sides finish top of their respective groups and make it past the round of 32.

In the unlikely scenario that both sides finish second in their group, then they could meet even earlier, in the round of 32.

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England v Scotland - Last 16

When: July 6, 01:00 BST
Where: Mexico City
How: England win Group L; Scotland finish third in Group C and advance among best third-place teams; Scotland end up in England's path; both sides reach last 16

A return to the World Cup should be more than enough excitement for The Tartan Army, but there is a scenario where things could get even better.

They could have the chance to send their bitter rivals England home in the last 16.

For that to happen, they need to finish third in Group C, but qualify for the knockout stages as one of the best third-place teams.

They would then need to win their respective round of 32 matches, but if they do, Scotland will have the opportunity to ruin another trip to the Estadio Azteca for England.

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