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2026 World Cup Language 21: Advance to the last 16
It’s day 21 of the 2026 World Cup and on today’s World Cup language podcast we look at a phrase from the Belgium versus Senegal last-32 match which Belgium dramatically won: ‘advance to the last 16‘. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
Hello
DF: Hello everyone. This is Damian from the Learn English through Football team and I hope you are all well and still watching, and enjoying, the World Cup. This is day 21 of our World Cup language series in which we explain a phrase or expression from the World Cup each day; hopefully you have found them useful with your language learning (or language teaching).
Yesterday Damon explained the phrase, ‘sweep aside‘ after France easily defeated Sweden in the last 32 of the tournament and today I am going to explain the phrase ‘advance to the last 16‘ after a dramatic comeback win for Belgium over Senegal.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in French)
Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast and that message was in French.
Advance to the last 16
DF: Right, yesterday saw a very dramatic last-32 knockout game between AFCON champions Senegal and Belgium which saw the Belgians win in dramatic style. The African side were winning 2-0 with only five minutes to go but the Belgians scored twice to send the game into extra time. They then scored a dramatic, and controversial, penalty in the 125th minute; that’s five minutes into added time in extra time – to win the game. This meant that they qualified for the last 16 round and another word for qualify is ‘advance‘. To advance means to move forward and in a football tournament, this describes how a team continues to move forward in the tournament: so, from the last 32 to the last 16, for example. Of course, if a team wins their last- 16 match they will advance to the last eight (the quarter finals).
So we can say that Belgium advanced to the next round of the tournament, along with England and hosts Mexico on day 21 of the World Cup.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (a fan from Mexico)
Contact
DF: Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast and that was a message from a very excited Mexican fan and of course Mexico, who advanced to the last 16 by defeating Ecuador 2-0. Will they advance to the quarter finals this weekend?
Now don’t forget, if you want to get in contact with us or ask a football-language question then just come along to our site or go to our World Cup forum or you can write to us at: contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com.
Goodbye
DF: Thank you everyone again for listening. On today’s World Cup language show, we looked at the phrase, ‘to advance to the last 16‘. which is another way of saying ‘qualify’ for the last 16. Can you think of any other words for qualify or advance in any language that you know and maybe that are similar to this phrase? And if so, drop us a line and let us know.
Damon will be here again tomorrow with some more expressions from day 22 of the World Cup. Until then, bye bye.
Related Links
-
- 2026 World Cup Language 20: Sweep aside
- 2026 World Cup Language 19: Win a penalty shootout
- 2026 World Cup Language 18: Stoppage time
- 2026 World Cup Language 17: See off an opponent
- 2026 World Cup Language 16: To Spill
- 2026 World Cup Language 15: Results go their way
- 2026 World Cup Language 14: Goal difference
- 2026 World Cup Language 13: Ends scoring goal drought
- 2026 World Cup Language 12: Shrug off
- 2026 World Cup Language 11: Thumping strike
- 2026 World Cup Language 10: Statement win
- 2026 World Cup Language 9: One-way traffic
- 2026 World Cup Language 8: Gift
- 2026 World Cup Language 7: Re-taken penalty
- 2026 World Cup Language 6: A stunner
- 2026 World Cup Language 5: Hold to a draw
- 2026 World Cup language 4: Run riot
- 2026 World Cup Language 3: Lob over the keeper
- 2026 World Cup Language 2: Brace
- 2026 World Cup Language: To be dismissed
- 2026 World Cup in numbers
- 2026 World Cup in numbers (quiz)
- 2026 World Cup favourites, dark horses and flops
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