2026 FIFA World Cup: Six Teams Confirm Quarterfinal Spots

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The quarterfinal lineup continued to take shape after Spain and Belgium secured victories in their Round of 16 matches.

Spain edged Portugal 1-0 on Monday, July 6, in a tightly contested encounter.

The narrow victory booked La Roja’s place in the last eight, where they will face Belgium.

Belgium also advanced to the quarterfinals after a dominant 4-1 victory over the United States on Tuesday, July 7.

The match was played amid pre-match tension after the Belgian Federation questioned the eligibility of USA forward Folarin Balogun, arguing that he should have been suspended following a red card in the previous round.

However, tournament officials allowed Balogun to play, and Belgium went on to produce one of their strongest performances of the competition to book a quarterfinal clash against Spain.

Confirmed Quarterfinal Fixtures

Four quarterfinal matches have now been confirmed:

Morocco vs France
Spain vs Belgium
Norway vs England
Winner of Argentina vs Egypt vs Winner of Switzerland vs Colombia

Biggest World Cup Upsets So Far

The knockout stage has already produced several major upsets, with a number of football giants crashing out earlier than expected.

Paraguay stunned four-time champions Germany after holding them to a 1-1 draw before winning 4-3 on penalties in the Round of 32.

Morocco continued its remarkable run by eliminating the Netherlands on penalties before defeating Canada 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals.

Norway then shocked five-time champions Brazil with a 2-1 victory in the Round of 16, ending the South American giants’ hopes of lifting a sixth World Cup title.

Portugal also exited the tournament after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Spain, while Belgium comfortably beat the United States 4-1 to book its place in the last eight.

With just two Round of 16 matches left, the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy is becoming even more intense as the tournament heads into the quarterfinal stage.

Also Read:The Disgrace of Gijón: The World Cup Match That Changed Football Forever

Remaining Round of 16 Fixtures

The remaining Round of 16 matches are yet to be played and will determine the rest of the quarterfinal line-up.

The fixtures are:

Argentina vs Egypt
Switzerland vs Colombia

Also Read: How FIFA President Gianni Infantino Keeps Up With Multiple World Cup Matches

Road to the Knockout Stage

Earlier, the group stage concluded with Argentina, France and Mexico emerging as the only teams to win all three of their matches and finish with a perfect nine points.

Other group winners included Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, while Morocco, Canada, England, Portugal, Norway, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, Paraguay and the United States also advanced to the knockout rounds after strong performances.

Since the start of the knockout stage, several of those teams have been eliminated.

Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Portugal, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Paraguay have all exited the tournament after defeats in the Round of 32 and Round of 16.

Several nations, including Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia and Uzbekistan, saw their World Cup journeys come to an end after failing to progress beyond the group stage.

With the tournament entering its decisive stage, every match is now a must-win as the remaining teams continue their pursuit of the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy.

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