The group stage is almost done. England beat Croatia 4-2. Morocco held Brazil. Cape Verde drew with Spain. Germany scored seven. The 2026 World Cup has already delivered more drama per match than any tournament in memory — and the knockout stage has not even started yet.

The Round of 32 begins Sunday, June 28. Thirty-two teams, single elimination, every match a final. The hosts — the United States, Mexico, and Canada — are all still in. Argentina are through. France are through. Brazil made it despite Morocco’s best attempts to stop them. England are through convincingly. Ronaldo’s Portugal drew their opener but qualified.

The tournament runs until July 19 in New Jersey. If you are in any of the 16 host cities right now, or planning to be — Wingman has every single one of them covered. Here is what you are missing beyond the stadium walls.

Germany’s 7-1 against Curaçao was the largest winning margin of the tournament so far — and it immediately made Germany one of the tournament’s most feared sides. The new-generation squad, built around Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and Kai Havertz, does not look like a team that will go out quietly. Their path to the final runs through Dallas and Atlanta.

Morocco holding Brazil to a draw was the group stage’s most significant result for the tournament’s narrative. Brazil, five-time champions, the nation that has more World Cup titles than any other, were held by an African side that reached the semi-finals in Qatar 2022. The headline obscured how good Morocco were — organised, physical, and clinical on the counter. They are through to the Round of 32 as one of the more dangerous third-placed qualifiers.

Cape Verde drew with Spain. The Blue Sharks, the third-smallest nation ever to play in a World Cup by population, held 2010 champions Spain goalless for 90 minutes. The 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha made nine saves. Spain, tournament favourites by most metrics, looked for the cutting edge they could not find. That draw does not eliminate Spain — they qualified comfortably — but it will echo through the knockout rounds as a warning.

Ronaldo drew with DR Congo. Portugal qualified anyway. But the draw — and the sight of a 41-year-old playing what many believe is his final World Cup match — was the tournament’s most human moment. The trophy he has been chasing his entire career remains one result at a time away. Portugal’s knockout path runs through Houston and Miami. Ronaldo is still there.

Why this Round of 32 will be different from anything before

This is the first World Cup with a Round of 32. The expanded 48-team format means 32 teams survive the group stage — the top two from each of the twelve groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams. From here, it is single elimination all the way to the final on July 19.

Statistical modelling of 1,000 tournament simulations puts the probability of four or more outright upsets in the Round of 32 at 41%. The historical average for the equivalent round in the 32-team format was 1.5 to 2 upsets per round. The new format is structurally more volatile — the third-placed qualifiers are fresh, the rest differential between group winners and third-placers is minimal, and the skill gap between top sides and mid-tier nations has narrowed in the decade since the last major format change.

The Round of 32 and beyond is played across all 16 cities. Here are the major knockout venues and what Wingman has for each — because the match is 90 minutes and the city is everything else.

A World Cup trip is a specific kind of city travel problem: you arrive in a place you may have never visited, you have one fixed commitment (the match), and you have the rest of the trip to fill. The challenges are standard — where to eat, how to navigate, what to see, how to get to the stadium, what the neighbourhood around your hotel is actually like after dark. Wingman handles all of them in a single itinerary.

Every nation still in the World Cup has fans watching from home cities that Wingman covers. Here are the connections worth making while the tournament continues.

England fans — London, 15 tours

England are through convincingly — 4-2 against Croatia, Thomas Tuchel’s first major tournament as England manager. London has more Wingman audio tours than any other city in the app. The Tower of London, the South Bank, Notting Hill, Shoreditch, the Clerkenwell food district. Generate the full London itinerary in 45 seconds.

Portugal fans — Lisbon, 8 tours

Ronaldo drew against DR Congo and still qualified. Portugal’s Alfama district, Belém with the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém, the LX Factory market on Saturday mornings, the Bairro Alto for fado. All in Wingman. Lisbon remains one of Europe’s best cities for walking — flat near the river, worth every uphill street further in.

Croatia fans — Dalmatia, 16 tours

Croatia lost 4-2 to England and still qualified. The Game of Thrones Walking Tour in Dubrovnik, Split’s Diocletian Palace where a Roman emperor’s retirement home became a living city, Hvar, Korčula, Krka waterfalls. Dalmatia has 16 Wingman tours — including the most-searched audio tour in the app outside of London.

Spain fans — Andalusia, 12 tours

Spain drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in the group stage’s biggest shock. They qualified anyway. Seville’s flamenco quarter, Granada’s Albaicín and the Alhambra, Ronda’s gorge, Cádiz on the Atlantic. Twelve Andalusia tours in Wingman, covering every city worth visiting in the region with audio context at every major stop.

Germany fans — Berlin, 11 tours

Germany’s 7-1 against Curaçao sent the message. Germany are serious. Berlin has 11 Wingman tours — from the Berlin Wall Memorial audio walk to the Museum Island to the Kreuzberg food district. The city that rebuilt itself twice in the 20th century and became one of the most culturally interesting capitals in Europe in the 21st.

Morocco fans — Marrakesh, coming mid-June

Morocco held Brazil to a draw and remain one of the tournament’s most compelling stories. Wingman’s Marrakesh audio tours are launching mid-June — the souks, the Djemaa el-Fna, the Mellah, the Atlas Mountains day trip. Morocco at a World Cup that values the underdog. Marrakesh for the fans who want to understand why they keep performing.