⚽

2026 FIFA World Cup

United States · Canada · Mexico — down to the Final 8

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Quarterfinals · Jul 9–11

⚽ Knockout Stage · Quarterfinals → Final

⚽ The Road to MetLife

⚽ Thursday · Jul 9

📍 Match Info

VenueGillette Stadium · Foxborough, MA

Kickoff4:00p ET

RoundQuarterfinal

🛣️ Road to the Last 8

FranceTopped their group, edged Paraguay 1-0 in the R16 (Mbappé penalty).

MoroccoLast African side standing; hammered co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the R16.

⭐ Players to Watch

Watch🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé · 🇲🇦 Achraf Hakimi, Youssef En-Nesyri

🔑 Storyline

StorylineA rematch of the 2022 semifinal, when France ended Morocco’s historic run to the last four.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

⚽ Friday · Jul 10

📍 Match Info

VenueSoFi Stadium · Inglewood, CA

Kickoff3:00p ET

RoundQuarterfinal

🛣️ Road to the Last 8

SpainReigning Euro champions; beat Portugal 1-0 in the R16 on Merino’s last-gasp winner.

BelgiumRoared back from 2-0 down vs Senegal in the R32, then dispatched the USA 4-1.

⭐ Players to Watch

Watch🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal, Pedri · 🇧🇪 Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku

🔑 Storyline

StorylineSpain’s teenage-fuelled attack against Belgium’s battle-tested golden generation — likely De Bruyne’s last World Cup run.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

⚽ Saturday · Jul 11

📍 Match Info

VenueHard Rock Stadium · Miami Gardens, FL

Kickoff5:00p ET

RoundQuarterfinal

🛣️ Road to the Last 8

NorwayFirst World Cup since 1998 — stunned Brazil 2-1 in the R16 on two Haaland goals.

EnglandBeat Mexico 3-2 (Kane penalty) to reach a third straight World Cup quarterfinal.

⭐ Players to Watch

Watch🇳🇴 Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard · 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham

🔑 Storyline

StorylineTwo Golden Boot contenders collide: Haaland, on a tear, against England’s all-time top scorer Kane.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

📍 Match Info

VenueArrowhead Stadium · Kansas City, MO

Kickoff9:00p ET

RoundQuarterfinal

🛣️ Road to the Last 8

ArgentinaDefending champions; survived 3-2 thrillers over Cape Verde and Egypt in the knockouts.

SwitzerlandWon their group, then edged Colombia on penalties (0-0) in the R16.

⭐ Players to Watch

Watch🇦🇷 Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez · 🇨🇭 Granit Xhaka, Dan Ndoye

🔑 Storyline

StorylineMessi’s title defense — and likely his final World Cup run — meets Switzerland’s first quarterfinal since 1954.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

⚽ Tuesday · Jul 14

📍 Match Info

VenueAT&T Stadium · Arlington, TX

Kickoff3:00p ET

RoundSemifinal

🔑 Note

NoteThe France/Morocco winner meets the Spain/Belgium winner for a place in the final.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

⚽ Wednesday · Jul 15

📍 Match Info

VenueMercedes-Benz Stadium · Atlanta, GA

Kickoff3:00p ET

RoundSemifinal

🔑 Note

NoteThe Norway/England winner meets the Argentina/Switzerland winner for a place in the final.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

🥉 Saturday · Jul 18

📍 Match Info

VenueHard Rock Stadium · Miami Gardens, FL

Kickoff3:00p ET

RoundThird-place playoff

🔑 Note

NoteThe two beaten semifinalists play off for third place.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

🏆 Sunday · Jul 19

📍 Match Info

VenueMetLife Stadium · East Rutherford, NJ

Kickoff3:00p ET

RoundFINAL

🔑 Note

NoteThe 2026 FIFA World Cup Final. One trophy, 90 (or 120) minutes — the whole tournament comes down to this.

📺 Broadcast

TVFOX / Telemundo · stream on Fox One

📖 the final 8 · quarterfinals

⚽ Research, history & the road ahead

🏆 The tournament at a glance

The biggest World Cup ever: 48 teams, 104 matches, three host nations (🇺🇸 USA, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇲🇽 Mexico), June 11 – July 19.
New format: 12 groups of four, with the top two plus the eight best third-placed teams reaching a Round of 32 — then straight knockout.
The final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. From the last 8, just three wins separate a team from the trophy.

💥 How the field of 48 became 8

All three co-hosts are out: Canada fell to Morocco, Mexico lost 3-2 to England, and the USA were beaten 4-1 by Belgium in the Round of 16.
Brazil and Germany are both absent from the last 8 for the first time in World Cup history — Norway stunned Brazil 2-1, and Paraguay knocked out Germany.
Debutants Cape Verde pushed defending champions Argentina to extra time in the R32; Switzerland edged Colombia on penalties.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s tournament ended in the Round of 16 as Spain beat Portugal 1-0 on a last-gasp Merino goal — a likely farewell.

🥇 Golden Boot race

Erling Haaland 🇳🇴 has erupted — 7 goals in 4 games, including two apiece vs Iraq, Senegal and Brazil.
Kylian Mbappé 🇫🇷 keeps rolling: 19 career World Cup goals in 19 games, and France’s all-time leading scorer.
Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 holds the all-time record at 21 World Cup goals and opened 2026 with his first WC hat trick (vs Algeria).
Others in the hunt: Harry Kane 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Ousmane Dembélé 🇫🇷 (group-stage hat trick) and Romelu Lukaku 🇧🇪.

📊 Final-8 quick facts

Four of the eight have lifted the trophy before: Argentina (3), France (2), England (1) and Spain (1).
Neither Belgium nor Morocco has ever gone past a semifinal.
Switzerland’s last quarterfinal was in 1954 — when they hosted the tournament.
Norway had never previously advanced beyond the Round of 16, and are at their first World Cup since 1998.
Last first-time champion: Spain, in 2010. Could Norway, Belgium, Morocco or Switzerland join the club?

📅 Road to the final

QF1 🇫🇷 France vs 🇲🇦 Morocco — Thu Jul 9, Foxborough.
QF2 🇪🇸 Spain vs 🇧🇪 Belgium — Fri Jul 10, Inglewood.
QF3 🇳🇴 Norway vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England — Sat Jul 11, Miami Gardens.
QF4 🇦🇷 Argentina vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland — Sat Jul 11, Kansas City.
Semifinals Jul 14 (Arlington) & Jul 15 (Atlanta) · Final Jul 19 (MetLife, NJ).

🌍 The Final 8 — team by team

🇫🇷 France · 2× World Champions (1998, 2018)

Pedigree: back-to-back finalists in 2018 (won) and 2022 (lost to Argentina on penalties); perennial favorites under Didier Deschamps.
Road to the QF: topped their group behind a rampant Mbappé (record-setting goal vs Senegal in a 3-1 win), then squeezed past Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16.
Key men: Kylian Mbappé (19 WC goals), Ousmane Dembélé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Michael Olise.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇲🇦 Morocco — a 2022 semifinal rematch.
Did you know: Mbappé became France’s all-time leading scorer during this tournament, passing Olivier Giroud and Thierry Henry.

🇲🇦 Morocco · Best finish: 4th (2022)

Pedigree: made history in 2022 as the first African and first Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.
Road to the QF: the last African team standing, they dismantled co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16.
Key men: Achraf Hakimi, Youssef En-Nesyri, Azzedine Ounahi, Brahim Díaz.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇫🇷 France — a chance to avenge 2022.
Did you know: the Atlas Lions again carry a continent’s hopes — Africa has never had a World Cup finalist.

🇪🇸 Spain · 1× World Champion (2010)

Pedigree: 2010 world champions and reigning European champions (Euro 2024) — arguably the most complete side left.
Road to the QF: held 0-0 by debutants Cape Verde in a group-stage shock, but recovered to beat Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 on a last-gasp Mikel Merino goal.
Key men: Lamine Yamal (teenage superstar), Pedri, Nico Williams, Rodri.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇧🇪 Belgium.
Did you know: Spain field one of the youngest cores in the tournament, led by 18-year-old Yamal.

🇧🇪 Belgium · Best finish: 3rd (2018)

Pedigree: the “golden generation” peaked with third place in 2018; this is a last big push for its veteran core.
Road to the QF: stumbled through the group, then trailed Senegal 2-0 with four minutes left in the R32 before Lukaku and a Tielemans brace forced extra time — and won it. Then beat the USA 4-1.
Key men: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans, Jérémy Doku.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇪🇸 Spain.
Did you know: their Senegal comeback was one of the great escapes of the tournament.

🇳🇴 Norway · First World Cup since 1998

Pedigree: a genuine Cinderella — Norway had never advanced past the Round of 16 before this year.
Road to the QF: rode Erling Haaland’s scoring spree (two vs Iraq, two vs Senegal), then shocked Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16 with two more Haaland goals.
Key men: Erling Haaland (7 goals in 4), Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, Alexander Sørloth.
Quarterfinal: vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England.
Did you know: Haaland has now scored in 14 straight Norway appearances — and knocked out five-time champions Brazil.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England · 1× World Champion (1966)

Pedigree: champions in 1966 and back-to-back European finalists (2020, 2024), still chasing a first major trophy in 60 years.
Road to the QF: beat Croatia 4-2 in the group (Kane brace), then edged Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16 on a Kane penalty — a third straight World Cup quarterfinal.
Key men: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇳🇴 Norway.
Did you know: Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer; the Kane-vs-Haaland duel headlines the round.

🇦🇷 Argentina · 3× World Champions (1978, 1986, 2022)

Pedigree: defending champions, chasing back-to-back titles for the first time since Brazil in 1962.
Road to the QF: Messi’s hat trick lit up the group (vs Algeria); then two nervy 3-2 knockout wins — Lisandro Martínez’s extra-time winner past Cape Verde, and a comeback from 2-0 down to beat Egypt.
Key men: Lionel Messi (21 WC goals, all-time record), Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Alexis Mac Allister.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland.
Did you know: this is almost certainly Messi’s final World Cup — and Argentina fielded one of the oldest sides in their history (avg. ~30 years).

🇨🇭 Switzerland · Best finish: QF 1954

Pedigree: reliable qualifiers who often reach the last 16 — but this is their first quarterfinal since hosting in 1954.
Road to the QF: won their group, then knocked out Colombia on penalties after a 0-0 draw, with Ruben Vargas burying the decisive kick.
Key men: Granit Xhaka, Dan Ndoye, Breel Embolo, Yann Sommer.
Quarterfinal: vs 🇦🇷 Argentina.
Did you know: the Swiss are the surprise package of the final 8 — 72 years since they last got this far.