The quarter-final picture at the FIFA World Cup has been set.
Here’s a closer look at the matchups and what to expect.
France vs. Morocco – Boston
Thursday, July 9 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on TSN, CTV, Crave, TSN.ca and TSN App
The opening quarter-final matchup of the FIFA World Cup pits two-time champion France against African giant Morocco in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar.
France, No. 1 in the FIFA rankings, has been the best team at this year’s tournament, winning all five of their games with a goal differential of 12.
Superstar striker Kylian Mbappe and his seven goals is tied with Norway’s Erling Haaland for second in the Golden Boot race, one behind Lionel Messi of Argentina. The 27-year-old now has 19 career goals at the World Cup, two behind Messi for the all-time lead.
France, who fell to Argentina in a dramatic 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, finished first in Group I action before handling Sweden, 3-0, in the Round of 32 and Paraguay, 1-0, in the Round of 16 in a game that favoured the French far greater than the score did.
France is looking to win their third World Cup.
Morocco, meanwhile, is looking to make history at this year’s World Cup after their impressive fourth-place finish in Qatar.
The continent of Africa has never won a World Cup in the long history of the tournament, but Morocco might have the best chance to accomplish the feat.
Ranked sixth in the world, Morocco is better than the team that fell to France, 2-0, in the 2022 World Cup semifinal.
Only nine players have returned from that squad as the Atlas Lions have since added significant pieces such as Real Madrid star forward Brahim Diaz, who has produced four assists at the World Cup, and PSV Eindhoven attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari, the team’s leading goalscorer with three.
Then there’s Paris Saint-Germain right back and Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi, considered by many to be the best in his position in the game.
Morocco, who won the African Cup of Nations earlier this year, are unbeaten in their past 34 matches across all competitions, including a dramatic victory over Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32 and a 3-0 shutout of co-host Canada in the Round of 16, in a game where they didn’t play up to their potential.
This clash could be the most compelling matchup in the quarter-final round with both sides having a real shot at winning the whole tournament if they’re able to move on.
The victor will take on the winner between Spain and Belgium in the semi-final on July 14 in Dallas.
Spain vs. Belgium – Los Angeles
Friday, July 10 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on TSN, CTV, Crave, TSN.ca and TSN App
The second quarter-final matchup features Spain taking on Belgium.
No. 3 Spain is coming off a 1-0 win over Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in the Round of 16, a game that saw few scoring chances until Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino found the back of the net in stoppage time.
Spain, the 2024 European champions, finished atop of Group H before a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria in the Round of 32.
The Spaniards are led by 18-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal and Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal, who leads the team with four goals.
Spain is competing in their 13th straight World Cup and look to return to football glory after capturing their first World Cup in 2010.
Spain defeated Belgium in penalties in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup and in the group-stage of the 1990 World Cup.
Belgium is coming in on a high after dismantling co-host United States, 4-1, in the Round of 16.
The game was plagued by controversy as American star striker Folarin Balogun had his one-game ban for a red card rescinded by FIFA in controversial fashion, allowing him to suit up against Belgium.
Eighth-ranked Belgium was clearly motivated by the decision, one that seemed partly influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump, as the Red Devils dominated the match, highlighted by two first half goals from Charles De Ketelaere and another by veteran striker Romelu Lukaku in stoppage time.
Belgium, who finished first in Group G with one win and two draws, were lucky to be in that position after barely getting by Senegal in the Round of 32. They needed goals in the 86th and 89th minute to tie Senegal and send the game to extra time where Youri Tielemans netted the winner on a penalty in the final moments.
Belgium’s best finish at the FIFA World Cup come in 2018 when they blanked England 2-0 in the third-place game. They failed to advance to the knockout stage in Qatar.
The winner will take on the winner between France and Morocco in the semi-final on July 14 in Dallas.
Norway vs. England – Miami
Saturday, July 11 at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on TSN, CTV, Crave, TSN.ca and TSN App
Erling Haaland, the 25-year-old goalscoring sensation, takes centre stage in this quarter-final matchup between Norway and England.
Playing in his first World Cup, Haaland has significantly increased his already massive profile after scoring seven goals, leading Norway to their best World Cup performance in history.
No. 19 Norway finished second in Group I behind France before edging Cote d’Ivoire in the Round of 32 with Halland scoring the winner in the 86th minute.
Haaland, who tallied 38 goals for Manchester City this season, played hero again in the Round of 16 against Brazil with two second-half goals to give Norway the 2-1 victory.
Norway, playing in their first World Cup since 1998, had never won a knockout stage game in three previous appearances at tournament.
The quarter-final clash against England should be especially special for Haaland as he was born in the country while his Norwegian father was playing Leeds United. His family moved back to Norway when Haaland was three.
No. 4 England are led by a star of their own in Harry Kane.
The Bayern Munich forward has scored six times at this World Cup and has produced a total of 73 goals over 62 games this season for club and country.
Kane, 32, has 14 World Cup goals in his career over 16 games, tied for fifth all-time.
England finished first in Group L before coming back to defeat DR Congo, 2-1, in the Round of 32 thanks to a brace from Kane.
The Three Lions squared off with Mexico in the Round of 16 at Estadio Azteca, in one of the best World Cup games in history.
Kane scored on a penalty while fellow superstar Jude Bellingham scored twice as 10-man England held on for the 3-2 win, marking the first time Mexico dropped a World Cup game at Estadio Azteca.
The English won their first and only World Cup in 1966. Most recently, they finished fourth in 2018 and were eliminated in the quarter-final in 2018 by France.
This will mark the first time Norway and England will face each other at the World Cup.
Argentina vs. Switzerland - Kansas City
Saturday, July 11 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on TSN1/3/4, CTV, Crave, TSN.ca and TSN App
Reigning champions Argentina will take on Switzerland in the last quarter-final on Saturday night.
While Argentina was always expected to reach this stage of the tournament, their two knockout round games have not been without drama.
The defending champions stormed back from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt 3-2 in their Round of 16 clash on Tuesday, scoring three goals in just 13 minutes to avoid extra time. The team was shockingly pushed into the extra frame in their Round of 32 match by Cabo Verde, with the two sides tied 1-1 after 90 minutes. Both teams then traded goals in the first half of extra time before a Cabo Verde own goal secured Argentina’s victory in the 111th minute.
“The heart of Argentinians is always something that pushes, that we keep going no matter what, that we give everything until the end. And honestly, with the score 2-0, we looked a bit beaten,” Argentina striker Julian Alvarez said after the victory over Egypt. “There was little time left, but we always manage to get something more by fighting until the end.”
Lionel Messi scored his eighth goal of the 2026 tournament on Tuesday, taking over atop the Golden Boot race with one more marker than Kylian Mbappe of France and Norway star Erling Haaland. Messi has scored in each of Argentina’s five games at the tournament so far, but it there is one weakness in his game, it’s been from the penalty spot. The Inter Miami midfielder has been denied twice from the spot, missing the net eniterly in the group round against Austria before being stopped by Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir in the first half Tuesday.
Switzerland are fresh off picking up a victory over Colombia on penalties in their Round of 16 match on Tuesday. After a scoreless draw, Ruben Vargas converted the decisive penalty as Switzerland advanced 4-3 in a shootout in Vancouver.
This year marks a first trip to the quarter-finals for the Swiss since hosting the tournament in 1954 and reaching the semifinals will be now easy feat as Argentina awaits.
“We worked very hard, and now we have this opportunity,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said. “This is going to be a very interesting matchup from our point of view. We will try to compete against the reigning champions and it’s going to be amazing. Switzerland against Argentina in a quarter-final. I am so excited. I think that I need maybe a couple of hours more or another day to process what just happened, and then tomorrow we will start focusing on Argentina.”
Switzerland, like Argentina, have gone unbeaten at this World Cup, but with the lone blemish on their record being a shocking 1-1 tie against Qatar in their opening match of the tournament.
After that, the team picked up wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada to secure first place in Group B and defeated Algeria 2-0 in the group round.
Switzerland played each of their past three matches in Vancouver, though it’s fair to say the city never quite felt like home for the team.
“They had the crowd on their side, so it was a tough game for us,” goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said after the win over Colombia. “We know we had some stretches of the game where we had to defend and stay strong mentally. Obviously we had a few players missing so, yeah, it was a big challenge for us.”
Now, the the team heads to Kansas City with history already made, but the team will have to be careful not to let complacency take over with the favoured Argentinians lying ahead.
“I don’t think you can overstate what a huge success this is — for us, for this team, for Switzerland, for such a small country. To be among the top eight teams in the world is incredible,” Kobel added Tuesday. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I’m incredibly proud.”
Argentina and Switzerland have met twice before on the World Cup stage with Argentina coming out victorious on both occasions - a 2-0 win in 1966 and a 1-0 victory in 2014.
