The round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has lived up to the hype, and the quarterfinals wouldn’t be complete without Lionel Messi.
As the biggest World Cup ever continues, Messi and Argentina played in another match for the ages on Tuesday. It pulled off arguably one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the tournament, taking down Egypt 3-2 after trailing 2-0 as late as the 77th minute. Now, Messi and Argentina are in the quarterfinals as they look to repeat as World Cup champions.
So as teams advance and others are eliminated from contention, here’s a live look at the World Cup quarterfinals bracket.
Thursday, July 9
Kylian Mbappé scored on a penalty kick in France’s win over Paraguay. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
Boston Stadium (4 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One)
The first matchup of the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals is set. And it’s a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinals, which Les Bleus won, 2-0.
Morocco defeated Canada, 3-0, on Saturday in the round of 16 matchup at Houston Stadium to advance, and it’s now the first African team to reach back-to-back World Cup quarterfinals.
While all three tournament co-hosts made it to the round of 16, by virtue of scheduling, Canada is the first home team to be eliminated from contention.
Behind Golden Boot candidate Kylian Mbappé, France knocked out Paraguay on Saturday at Philadelphia Stadium with a 1-0 win.
Morocco and France will face off in the World Cup quarterfinals game on Thursday, July 9 at Boston Stadium on FOX (stream on FOX One).
Morocco was ranked No. 7 in FIFA’s latest rankings, while France was No. 3 behind Argentina and Spain, respectively.
Friday, July 10
Charles De Ketelaere (second from right) scored twice in Belgium’s win over the USA. (Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images).
Los Angeles Stadium (3 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One)
The USA won’t be breaking its quarterfinals drought at the World Cup this year. It lost to Belgium 4-1 on Monday, ending its hopes of a dream run on home soil. Instead, Belgium’s “Golden Generation” gets another chance at fulfilling destiny, reaching the quarterfinals at the World Cup for the third time in the last four tournaments. It finished in third place at the 2018 World Cup.
Belgium will take on Spain, who defeated Portugal on Monday. Spain won 1-0 as Mikel Merino broke the scoreless tie in stoppage time. With the win, Spain is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010, when it won its last World Cup.
The Spain-Belgium match will take place on Friday, July 10 at 3 p.m. ET at Los Angeles Stadium on FOX (stream on FOX One).
Saturday, July 11
Erling Haaland scored both goals for Norway in its win over Brazil. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Miami Stadium (5 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One)
England has moved on to the quarterfinals for the third straight World Cup. It took down Mexico on Sunday, winning 3-2 at Mexico City Stadium as it played the majority of the second half with just 10 men. England will take on a team that’s making its quarterfinals debut at the World Cup. Erling Haaland scored both goals for Norway in its upset victory over Brazil, which also put him in a tie for first place in the Golden Boot race. England and Norway will battle in the quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11 at 5 p.m. ET at Miami Stadium on FOX (stream on FOX One).
Argentina vs. Colombia/Switzerland
Lionel Messi and Argentina came back from a 2-0 deficit against Egypt to advance to the quarfinals. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Kansas City Stadium (9 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One)
Argentina is somehow still alive. Argentina was able to escape a 2-0 deficit against Egypt, scoring three goals in the final 20-plus minutes of action to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the World Cup. Now, the reigning champions will take on the winner of Tuesday’s Colombia-Switzerland match in the quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11 at 9 p.m. ET at Kansas City Stadium on FOX (stream on FOX One).
