2026 World Cup Round of 32: Morocco Shock Netherlands, Haaland Saves Norway and the Biggest Upsets So Far

Three results. Three storylines. One brutal knockout stage. If you’ve been trying to keep up with every twist of the World Cup Round of 32 upsets, here’s the short version before we get into the details: Morocco knocked out the Netherlands on penalties, Erling Haaland dragged Norway into the last 16 with a late winner, and Paraguay pulled off the biggest shock of the tournament by eliminating four-time champions Germany. If you only remember three scorelines from this round, make it these.

For Malaysian fans staying up late (or waking up early) to catch the action, this stretch of the World Cup Round of 32 upsets has been some of the most dramatic football of the entire tournament — three knockout matches, three shootouts or late drama, and three giants sent packing far earlier than expected.

Morocco Netherlands: The Penalty Shootout That Ended a Dream Run

Let’s start with the result everyone’s still talking about. In Monterrey, the Morocco Netherlands clash finished 1-1 after extra time, with Morocco eventually winning 3-2 on penalties to reach the last 16.

Cody Gakpo looked to have won it for the Dutch with a 72nd-minute strike, but Morocco refused to fold. Substitute Chemsdine Talbi supplied the cross and centre-back Issa Diop rose highest to head home a stoppage-time equaliser deep into added time, forcing extra time and eventually penalties.

Neither side had it easy from the spot. Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui struck the crossbar with the very first kick, and the Netherlands hit back through Quinten Timber and captain-in-waiting Justin Kluivert both missing their attempts. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou then produced the save that mattered most, denying Crysencio Summerville, before Ismael Saibari stepped up and rolled home the winning penalty.

It’s a result that stings even more for Netherlands fans because of what it means historically — this marks the first time the Dutch have failed to reach the last 16 in a World Cup they actually qualified for. Morocco, meanwhile, move on to face co-hosts Canada in Houston, continuing a knockout run that already looks like one of the standout World Cup Round of 32 upsets of the tournament.

Haaland Norway: The Man Who Refuses to Miss

If Morocco vs Netherlands was about penalty nerve, Haaland Norway was about one man deciding a game almost single-handedly. Norway needed extra time to fall — but they never got the chance, because Erling Haaland made sure of that.

Norway’s Round of 32 tie against Ivory Coast in Dallas swung back and forth. Antonio Nusa curled home a brilliant opener in the 39th minute off a pass from Martin Ødegaard, before Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo levelled things up in the second half. With the tie hanging in the balance and extra time looming, Haaland — who had been quiet for most of the match — pounced. Patrick Berg’s pass found him in the box, and he tapped home the winner in the 86th minute.

The numbers around this goal are just as remarkable as the moment itself. It was Haaland’s fifth goal of the tournament, putting him one behind Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, and it capped off a run in which he has now scored in each of his last 13 competitive appearances for Norway. It also handed Norway their first-ever World Cup knockout stage win. Among all the World Cup Round of 32 upsets so far, this one felt less like an upset and more like Haaland simply refusing to let his country’s tournament end.

Norway now face Brazil in the Round of 16 — a genuine heavyweight test, and one that should tell us a lot more about whether this Norwegian side is a genuine dark horse.

Paraguay’s Shock Win Over Germany

No conversation about this round’s World Cup Round of 32 upsets is complete without Paraguay’s win over Germany, widely regarded as the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

Ranked 34th in the world against Germany’s 12th, Paraguay took the lead before halftime through a Julio Enciso header, only for Kai Havertz to level things for the four-time champions after the break. Germany thought they’d won it in extra time when Jonathan Tah headed home from a corner, but VAR chalked the goal off for a foul on Paraguay’s goalkeeper in the build-up.

The shootout that followed was chaos. Havertz and Nick Woltemade both had their penalties saved by Orlando Gill, while Paraguay missed their own chances through Toni Sanabria and had a Fabián Balbuena effort saved by Manuel Neuer. It went to sudden death, and Tah — usually so reliable — blazed his kick over the bar, allowing defender José Canale to smash home the winner and send Germany home. It was Germany’s first-ever penalty shootout defeat at a World Cup. If you want the full blow-by-blow of that shootout, we’ve broken it down in detail in our Paraguay vs Germany penalty shootout recap.

Why These Upsets Matter for the Rest of the Tournament

Taken together, these three results are exactly why the World Cup Round of 32 upsets have made this one of the most talked-about knockout stages in recent memory. A four-time champion is out. A traditional European heavyweight is out. And two teams — Morocco and Norway — have shown that big reputations mean very little once the games become knockout football.

For fans in Malaysia tracking every twist of the bracket, it’s worth catching up on our earlier coverage of the Round of 32 knockout drama, including Canada’s own stoppage-time shocker, as well as our breakdown of the biggest group stage upsets that set the stage for all of this. Haaland’s heroics have also cemented his place among the tournament’s biggest stars to watch this summer, and with the bracket wide open, it might be time to revisit who’s actually still in the running when it comes to the full Round of 16 schedule and fixtures ahead.

One thing is certain: after this round, nobody is taking anything for granted for the rest of the tournament. If Morocco, Norway and Paraguay can do this in the Round of 32, the Round of 16 promises to be just as unpredictable — and just as entertaining.

(Full official match details for Morocco vs Netherlands are available via the official FIFA match report.)