For some, that pressure will be higher than others.
Perhaps the pick of the round-of-32 fixtures is the clash between Morocco and the Netherlands, who are ranked No 6 and 7 in the world, respectively. No 8 Portugal will meet No 13 Croatia in another match-up of highly ranked teams.
World No 4 England will take on No 41 DR Congo, who qualified as the best third-placed team, with top-20-ranked sides USA, France, Germany, Belgium, Mexico and Colombia all getting elimination match-ups with teams ranked outside the top 30 in the world.
The round of 32 begins on Monday morning with South Africa and Canada squaring off in California, and runs through until Saturday afternoon, with Colombia’s match against Ghana being the last one of the round.
Eliminated nations
New Zealand, South Korea, Iran, Scotland, Uruguay, Czech Republic, Qatar, Haiti, Turkey, Curacao, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Panama.
Round of 32 schedule (NZT)
South Africa v Canada – Monday 7am. Los Angeles, US
Brazil v Japan – Tuesday 5am. Houston, US
Germany v Paraguay – Tuesday 8.30am. Boston, US
Netherlands v Morocco – Tuesday 1pm. Monterrey, Canada
Ivory Coast v Norway – Wednesday 5am. Dallas, US
France v Sweden – Wednesday 9am. New Jersey, US
Mexico v Ecuador – Wednesday 1pm. Mexico City, Mexico
England v DR Congo – Thursday 4am. Atlanta, US
Belgium v Senegal – Thursday 8am. Seattle, US
USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina – Thursday 12pm. San Francisco, US
Spain v Austria – Friday 7am. Los Angeles, US
Portugal v Croatia – Friday 11am. Toronto, Canada
Switzerland v Algeria – Friday 3pm. Vancouver, Canada
Australia v Egypt – Saturday 6am. Dallas, US
Argentina v Cape Verde – Saturday 10am. Miami, US
Colombia v Ghana – Saturday 1.30pm. Kansas City, US
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.