The World Cup continues to thrill as the tournament has entered the knockout phase. No longer do goal differential or standings in the group stage matter. From now on, it's win or go home.

We're in the knockout stage at the World Cup, which is exactly what it sounds like. The field was cut to 32 countries, and from here on, any team that loses goes home. South Africa lost to Canada on Sunday. They're out. NPR's Jasmine Garsd is traveling the United States, covering the World Cup. Hi, they're Jas.

INSKEEP: OK, so I keep hearing lots of conversation about the World Cup. I was running yesterday, and I hear the conversations of people going the other way, and there's a big group of bikers talking excitedly about France. So what's going on?

GARSD: Oh, my God, I have really been enjoying watching France play. Team captain Kylian Mbappe and right winger Ousmane Dembele are playing some beautiful football. Then, of course, I'm watching Argentina, the defending champions, led by one of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi. The big question is, could they do it again? But, Steve, I think this World Cup, the big story is African teams - not just Cape Verde, but also Morocco is crushing it - Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo. African soccer is having a moment.

INSKEEP: OK, you mentioned African teams winning. Cape Verde played against Saudi Arabia, and you got to see them there in Houston, where you are. What was that like?

GARSD: Oh, my God, Steve, it was insane. It was, like, 105 degrees...

GARSD: It was a huge party. Cape Verde is, like, the Cinderella story of this tournament, right? It's their first World Cup. They're one of the smallest nations to ever make it, and their goalie, Vozinha, is - like, nothing is getting past that guy. Here's Vanessa Leveille from Cape Verde outside the game.

VANESSA LEVEILLE: We are a small island nation of 10 Islands, and this is the first time we've made it to the World Cup, and, you know, our island is - we're quiet. We're a small people, but we have big hearts. So this means a lot to us.

GARSD: They tied 0-0 with Saudi, and now they're in the knockout stage. Next opponent is Argentina.

GARSD: So the U.S. is coming off of a 3-2 loss in its final group stage match against Turkey. I should say the U.S. had already advanced to the knockout stage and already won the group before they even took the field against Turkey. So most of the starters, they didn't even play, and that game, the substitute players got some really valuable World Cup experience.

GARSD: But now that we're in a knockout stage, forward player, Folarin Balogun, says it's more serious.

FOLARIN BALOGUN: It's crunch time, you know. It's knockout football, and, you know, you lose, you go home. So, you know, this is the stage where, in my opinion, you know, the big players step forward, and the big players, you know, carry the pressure and make things happen.

GARSD: A reminder, Balogun scored twice in the opening game against Paraguay, and he says he's not done winning.

GARSD: I mean, things are about to get much more tense and grueling. Now there's no such thing as a draw. If a team plays 90 minutes and they're even, they play an extra 30 minutes. They're still tied after that, it goes to penalty kick.

INSKEEP: Yeah. That can be some of the most exciting soccer that there is. Jasmine, thanks so much.

INSKEEP: Jasmine Garsd is one of the correspondents covering the World Cup for NPR News.

Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.