The round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already underway and the quarterfinals are taking shape.
Which means we can even start thinking about possible matchups in the Semifinals.
Here are the Quarterfinal matchups, which will be updated as the matches are settled, as well as a look at what we could see in the Semifinals.
Here are the World Cup standings, courtesy of Sports news:
Now let’s analyze the group, first looking at the Quarterfinal matchups and then the possible Semifinal matchups.
Quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup
Here are the matchups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals, both confirmed and potential.
The first quarterfinal match to be decided? That happened on Saturday, when Morocco beat Canada 3-0 and France beat Paraguay by a final score of 1-0, thanks to a Kylian Mbappé penalty.
Now, two teams that met in the semi-finals during the 2022 FIFA World Cup will meet one round early, this time with a place in the semi-finals at stake. In that match in Qatar, France took an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Theo Hernandez in the fifth minute, and sealed the match when Randal Kolo Muani scored in the 79th minute.
It’s time to reveal all the historical analogies you can muster!
Norway advances to the quarterfinals for the first time in history, following Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Brazil. Erling Haaland continued his Golden Boot campaign with a brace, taking his total to seven goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
They will face England, after the Three Lions survived everything that was thrown at them on Sunday night in Mexico City. England’s 3-2 victory over Mexico took them to the quarter-finals.
The third quarterfinal matchup was determined Monday.
Tournament favorite Spain eliminated Portugal with a late goal from Mikel Merino. The USMNT followed suit and the rest of the host nations were eliminated in the round of 16 after a 1-4 loss to Belgium.
Argentina vs Switzerland
The fourth and final quarterfinal matchup will be decided on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi and Argentina hope to return to the semifinals when they face Mohamed Salah and Egypt at noon ET in Atlanta. The winner of that match will face the winner of Tuesday night’s match between Switzerland and Colombia.
Update: Argentina’s 3-2 comeback win over Egypt has solidified one half of this matchup. Switzerland booked the other spot with a victory over Colombia on penalties.
Possible semi-final matchups
Now let’s take a quick look at what we could see in the Semifinals.
Match 101: France/Morocco vs. Spain/Belgium
On the left side of the draw, the winner of Thursday’s match between France and Morocco in Boston will face the winner of the next match between Spain and Belgium.
Match 102: England/Norway vs. Argentina/Switzerland
Then, on the right side of the draw, the winner of Saturday’s match between England and Norway will face the team that emerges from the bottom right quadrant. At the time of publication, Argentina, Colombia and Switzerland are the three teams fighting for that place.
Update: With Argentina and Switzerland advancing, the winner of that match will face the winner of England/Norway in the Semi-Finals.