Twenty-seven days and 96 games later, the FIFA men’s World Cup (WC) quarter-finals (QFs) are set. Today’s the first day in a while without a game, so take the respite to check on your bracket and read up on the upcoming matches, plus how the final two teams clinched their spots.

Every minute brings us closer to tonight’s USMNT Round of 16 tilt against Belgium at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Can the Stars and Stripes vanquish the Red Devils, or will history repeat itself?

Here are the highlights from the long weekend, plus a look at the final three games before the quarter-finals (QF) begin on Thursday.

No. 30 CanMNT continues to go where no Canadian men have gone before: They’re onto the FIFA men’s World Cup (WC) Round of 16, taking on No. 6 Morocco today at 1 p.m. ET. Winning this game won’t be easy, but that’s par for the course — this tourney hasn’t exactly been a piece of cake for Les Rouges. And for that very reason (and more), battle-tested Canada might just pull off the unthinkable.

Just when you thought the FIFA men’s World Cup (WC) couldn’t get any better, Monday happened. All three Round of 32 games went into extra time, with Brazil sending Japan home via a stoppage time stunner and the other two tilts going to penalty kicks (PK) after 1–1 full-time draws.

The USMNT unlocked a new level of success in the World Cup (WC) group stage, and now they have the opportunity to do something they’ve only achieved once in their history: win a WC knockout game. They’ll take on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) in the Round of 32 tonight at 8 p.m. ET with even more history on the line — and from here on out, this tourney is win-or-go-home.

The World Cup (WC) knockout rounds began yesterday when Canada kicked off the Round of 32 with a bit of history — and there’s more to be made as the remaining 30 squads fight for a berth to the Round of 16 today through Friday.

It’s a rare and special moment when soccer is the mainstream sport in North America, one American soccer (specifically, the NWSL) wants to sustain after the crowds head home. In May, the women’s soccer league announced its Summer of Soccer initiative to capitalize on WC fervor. In June, we spoke to NWSL CMO Rachel Epstein about why the league has “locked arms” with FIFA and how the tourney can be an entry point for sustained footy fandom.

CanMNT will compete in a World Cup (WC) knockout match for the very first time, taking on South Africa in the Round of 32 today at 3 p.m. ET. It’s a beautiful day to extend this run one page further in the history books.