With the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup down to its final eight competitors, the quarterfinal round has shaped up to be one of the most competitive in modern tournament history. Every side advancing to this stage ranks among the top 12 in FIFA’s pre-tournament global rankings, with six of the eight placing inside the top 10, setting the stage for a series of high-stakes matches across the United States.
Pre-tournament odds heavily favor defending World Cup champion France, which enters the quarterfinals as the clear title favorite with betting odds sitting just below 2-1. Spain and 2022 champion Argentina trail closely behind at 7-2, followed by England at 9-2. Underdog Norway enters at 14-1, while long shots Belgium, Switzerland and Morocco all hold 28-1 odds to lift the trophy. For fans in the U.S., all quarterfinal matches will be broadcast in English on Fox and Peacock, with Spanish-language coverage available through Telemundo.
The first quarterfinal matchup kicks off Thursday at 4 p.m. EDT at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, pitting powerhouse France against Cinderella side Morocco. France has looked unstoppable through the tournament so far, netting 10 goals while conceding just two across group play. The side’s dominant form continued into the knockout round with a 3-0 blowout of Sweden, though their most recent win was a hard-fought 1-0 edge over Paraguay that saw Kylian Mbappé score his 19th career World Cup goal. Even with Norway resting star Erling Haaland and nearly all their first-string starters in group play, France’s lopsided results have cemented their status as the team to beat. Standing in their way is Morocco, which has defied all expectations to reach its second World Cup semifinal berth since 2022. The side opened with a surprising draw against powerhouse Brazil, knocked out the Netherlands in a tense penalty shootout, and recovered from a slow start to defeat co-host Canada, earning a spot in the final eight. Oddsmakers widely expect France to advance to the semis.
The second quarterfinal takes place Friday at 3 p.m. EDT at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, between Spain and Belgium. Spain stumbled into the tournament with an unexpected draw against underdog Cape Verde in their opening match, but that early test appears to have sharpened the side for high-pressure knockout play. After cruising past Austria 3-0 in the round of 32, Spain eliminated Uruguay 1-0, then pulled off a dramatic late win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, with Mikel Merino netting the game-winner in second-half stoppage time to send the side through. For Belgium, a dramatic late comeback set the tone for their knockout run: the side rallied from a two-goal deficit with just five minutes left in regulation to beat Senegal, then earned a controversial blowout win over the host United States in Seattle. The result was marred by a FIFA ruling that allowed American-born striker Folarin Balogun to suit up despite an automatic red card suspension from the previous round. Spain enters the match as the favorite to advance.
Saturday brings two quarterfinal matchups, starting with a showdown between Norway and England at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida at 5 p.m. EDT. Norway has delivered the biggest underdog story of this year’s tournament, with star striker Erling Haaland leading the previously underrated side to its first ever World Cup quarterfinal appearance. Haaland has led the charge, scoring two goals in a stunning upset over five-time World Cup champion Brazil to punch Norway’s ticket to the final eight, sparking wild celebrations from fans both in Norway and across host venues in the U.S., where the team’s iconic “Viking Row” celebration has become a fan favorite. England, meanwhile, earned a tense round-of-16 win over Mexico in front of a raucous pro-Mexico crowd at Estadio Azteca, but will be without veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson, who suffered a wrist injury during a post-match celebration. England enters the match as a narrow favorite.
The final quarterfinal closes out Saturday at 9 p.m. EDT at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, where Lionel Messi’s Argentina faces a defensively solid Switzerland side. Messi continues to rewrite World Cup history at this tournament, currently leading all players with eight goals in 2026 and extending his all-time career World Cup scoring record to 21 goals and counting. His most recent iconic performance came in an instant-classic round-of-16 match against Egypt, where he scored the game-winning goal to complete a comeback from a 2-0 deficit and secure a 3-2 win for Argentina. Switzerland, by contrast, has relied on a tight, defensive style to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954, having scored just nine goals across five matches. The side advanced past Colombia in the round of 16 via penalty kicks after 120 minutes of scoreless play. Argentina enters as the heavy favorite to move on.
Looking ahead, the winner of the France-Morocco quarterfinal will face the winner of Spain-Belgium in the first semifinal on Tuesday, July 14 at 3 p.m. EDT at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The second semifinal will pit the winner of Norway-England against the winner of Argentina-Switzerland on Wednesday, July 15 at 3 p.m. EDT in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2026 World Cup final is scheduled for the same kickoff time on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.