The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached its knockout business end, with the field now trimmed to 16 teams and the tournament’s quarterfinal picture beginning to take shape as the Round of 16 continues across venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The tournament began with a record 48 teams split into 12 groups, later narrowed to 32 nations advancing through the group stage before the single-elimination Round of 32 further reduced the field to 16. That round produced several surprises, most notably the elimination of Germany at the hands of Paraguay and an early exit for the Netherlands, results that reshaped expectations heading into the tournament’s second knockout round.

Two of the four quarterfinal matchups are now confirmed. France booked its place in the last eight with a 1-0 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia, a result built around a penalty conversion from Kylian Mbappe, who continues to lead the tournament’s Golden Boot conversation. France will face Morocco, which advanced with a commanding 3-0 win over co-host Canada in Houston. The victory made Morocco the first African nation to reach back-to-back World Cup quarterfinals, continuing the momentum the team built during a memorable run to the semifinals in 2022. Canada’s elimination also made it the first of the tournament’s three co-host nations to be knocked out of contention, a distinction determined largely by the structure of the bracket rather than any single result. Morocco and France are scheduled to meet in the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 9, at Boston Stadium.

The tournament’s other confirmed quarterfinal matchup pits Norway against England, a meeting set for Saturday, July 11. Norway advanced with a stunning 2-1 upset over five-time champion Brazil in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with forward Erling Haaland scoring both of Norway’s goals to send Brazil home in its earliest World Cup exit since 1990. England, meanwhile, survived a chaotic Round of 16 clash with co-host Mexico at Estadio Azteca, winning 3-2 in a match that included two red cards and two penalties before England held on to advance to the quarterfinals for a third consecutive tournament.

The remaining half of the bracket is still being finalized, with four Round of 16 matches left to determine the tournament’s final two quarterfinal pairings. Portugal is set to face Spain, while the United States takes on Belgium, both matches scheduled for Monday, July 6. Portugal advanced to this stage with a 2-1 win over Croatia, while Spain cruised past Austria 3-0 in its own Round of 32 fixture. The United States, the tournament’s remaining co-host still alive in the competition, advanced past Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in extra time despite playing a portion of the match with a numerical disadvantage after forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card, a decision that was later overturned by FIFA ahead of the Belgium match. Belgium reached this stage by overcoming Senegal 3-2 in a come-from-behind victory.

The winners of the Portugal-Spain and United States-Belgium matches will meet in the quarterfinals on Friday, July 10, at Los Angeles Stadium.

Two additional Round of 16 matches are scheduled for Tuesday, July 7. Argentina, the tournament’s defending champion, will face Egypt at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in a highly anticipated matchup between Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah. Argentina reached this stage after needing extra time to eliminate tournament debutant Cape Verde, ultimately advancing 3-2 on the strength of a late own goal from the Cape Verdean defense. Egypt reached the Round of 16 for the first time in 92 years on the back of a penalty shootout win over Australia, a result that included a successful Panenka-style conversion from Salah.

Also on July 7, Switzerland will face Colombia, with both nations having advanced through their respective Round of 32 matchups. Switzerland eliminated Algeria to reach this stage, while Colombia edged past Ghana 1-0. The winners of the Argentina-Egypt and Switzerland-Colombia matches will meet in the quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11, at Kansas City Stadium.

With those results, the tournament’s quarterfinal schedule is nearly set. Morocco and France will open the round on July 9 in Boston, followed by the winners of Portugal-Spain and USA-Belgium meeting on July 10 in Los Angeles. On July 11, Norway will face England, while the winners of Argentina-Egypt and Switzerland-Colombia complete the round on the same day in Kansas City.

Beyond the sporting drama, this year’s tournament has continued to draw record global attention as the first World Cup jointly hosted by three nations and the first to feature the expanded 48-team format. The larger field has produced a total of 104 matches across 16 host cities spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico, a significant increase from the 64-match format used in previous 32-team tournaments. With Canada, Mexico and now potentially other co-hosts eliminated at various stages, the United States remains the last of the three hosts still alive in the competition heading into Monday’s match against Belgium.

Looking further ahead, the semifinal round is scheduled to follow the conclusion of the quarterfinals, with the tournament’s final set for July 19. As the bracket continues to take shape, storylines abound heading into the coming week, from Messi’s continued pursuit of a strong tournament with Argentina to Haaland’s push to add to his tournament-leading goal tally with Norway, alongside England’s bid to advance further than the team has in decades and the co-host United States’ attempt to extend its own historic run on home soil.

Fans looking to follow the remaining schedule can expect matches to continue nearly daily through the coming week as the field narrows from the current 16 teams down to the final four semifinalists, with official broadcast details for each remaining match available through FOX, FOX One, Telemundo and other regional broadcast partners covering the tournament across its host countries.

World Cup 2026 Bracket — Quarterfinals & Remaining Schedule

Confirmed Quarterfinals:

• Morocco vs. France — Thursday, July 9, Boston Stadium
• Morocco beat Canada 3-0 (first African team to reach back-to-back World Cup quarterfinals)
• France beat Paraguay 1-0 (Mbappé penalty)
• Norway vs. England — Saturday, July 11, Miami
• Norway stunned Brazil 2-1 (Haaland brace; Brazil’s earliest exit since 1990)
• England beat Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca (two red cards, two penalties)

Remaining Round of 16 (still to be played):

• Portugal vs. Spain — Monday, July 6
• Portugal beat Croatia 2-1; Spain beat Austria 3-0
• USA vs. Belgium — Monday, July 6
• USA beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 (AET); Belgium beat Senegal 3-2
• Argentina vs. Egypt — Tuesday, July 7, Atlanta (Messi vs. Salah)
• Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 (AET, own goal winner); Egypt beat Australia on penalties
• Switzerland vs. Colombia — Tuesday, July 7
• Switzerland beat Algeria; Colombia beat Ghana 1-0

Resulting Quarterfinals from those matches:

• Winner (Portugal/Spain) vs. Winner (USA/Belgium) — Friday, July 10, Los Angeles Stadium
• Winner (Argentina/Egypt) vs. Winner (Switzerland/Colombia) — Saturday, July 11, Kansas City Stadium

Key context:

• Field started at 48 teams → 32 after groups → 16 now in Round of 16
• Canada was the first co-host eliminated; USA is the only co-host still alive
• Semifinals follow the quarterfinals, with the final set for July 19
• Tournament format: first-ever 48-team World Cup, first jointly hosted by three countries (US, Canada, Mexico), 104 total matches