The first 48-team World Cup has reached its sharpest point. Eight teams remain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and by Saturday night four of them will be gone, as the quarterfinals unfold across stadiums in the United States between July 9 and 11.
France, Morocco, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, Argentina and Switzerland have survived a month of football that began with 48 nations spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico — the biggest World Cup ever staged.
The matchups
France against Morocco in Boston is the tie with history baked in: a rematch of the 2022 semifinal in Qatar, when Morocco’s fairy-tale run ended against the eventual finalists. Morocco have again been the tournament’s great disruptors, and no African side has ever gone further than the last four. Standing in their way, once more, is a French squad that treats deep tournament runs as routine.
Spain meet Belgium in Los Angeles in a collision of contrasting arcs — Spain’s possession machine has looked the most complete side of the tournament, while Belgium have ground out results with a new generation finally emerging from the shadow of their golden one.
Norway’s meeting with England carries its own subplot: a first World Cup quarterfinal in the modern era for the Norwegians, powered by the most feared centre-forward in the game, against an England side that has made the business end of tournaments a habit but is still chasing the trophy itself.
The last quarterfinal, in Kansas City on Saturday night, pits Argentina — the defending champions — against a Switzerland side that keeps outlasting supposedly superior opponents. Champions in Qatar, Argentina are attempting something no team has done since Brazil in 1962: winning back-to-back World Cups.
What is at stake
Beyond places in the semifinals, the weekend will settle larger questions. Can Morocco turn a golden generation into a first African semifinal berth — or better? Does the expanded format, criticised for its bloated group stage, deliver a worthy final act? The knockout rounds so far suggest it might: the last 16 produced three extra-time finishes and a penalty shootout.
Four matches, three days, one champion still hidden among eight. The World Cup’s longest edition is about to get very short for half the field.
Leave a Reply