World Cup 2026: the full quarter-final schedule

The bracket is now complete: four ties, four different stories, and one stat that jumps out — of these four quarter-finals, three pit Gunners against each other. Plenty to follow with a red-and-white eye all the way through, whatever the results.

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France 🇫🇷 – Morocco 🇲🇦 — Thursday, July 9, 20:00 UTC (Boston)

(Context — sources: FIFA, ESPN.)

Les Bleus arrive at this quarter-final with a defence that’s barely been troubled all tournament: William Saliba keeps stacking clean sheets, the latest against Paraguay, rarely forced out of his comfort zone. Morocco remain the story of this World Cup, backed by a solid collective that already dispatched Canada in the Round of 16 without breaking a sweat (3-0).

Gunners spotlight: William Saliba, immense all tournament, anchors one of the competition’s most solid backlines.

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Spain 🇪🇸 – Belgium 🇧🇪 — Friday, July 10, 19:00 UTC (Los Angeles)

(Context — sources: FIFA, ESPN.)

Spain reach the quarters thanks to a super-sub out of nowhere: Mikel Merino, on for five minutes against Portugal, scored the only goal of the game at 90+1 to end Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup. Belgium, meanwhile, put four past co-hosts USA, powered by a Charles De Ketelaere brace teed up by Leandro Trossard.

Gunners spotlight: the most Arsenal-heavy tie of the round. Three Spanish Gunners — Mikel Merino, David Raya (still Unai Simón’s understudy) and Martín Zubimendi — face their Belgian team-mate Leandro Trossard (2 goals, 3 assists this tournament). An Arsenal dressing room split in two for one night in Los Angeles.

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Norway 🇳🇴 – England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 — Saturday, July 11, 21:00 UTC (Miami)

(Context — sources: FIFA, ESPN.)

Martin Ødegaard’s Norway are into their first-ever World Cup quarter-final, driven by Erling Haaland (a match-winning brace in the last 11 minutes against Brazil) and a captain delivering when it matters (3 assists this tournament). England booked their spot a man down against Mexico (3-2), powered by a Jude Bellingham brace scored 98 seconds apart.

Gunners spotlight: the deepest red-and-white tie of the round — Martin Ødegaard (Norway captain) on one side, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke on the other. Whatever happens, a Gunner is guaranteed a semi-final spot out of this one.

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Argentina 🇦🇷 – Switzerland 🇨🇭 — Saturday-to-Sunday night, 01:00 UTC (Kansas City)

(Context — sources: ESPN, FIFA, Al Jazeera.)

The unlikeliest tie on paper. Argentina pulled off one of their great World Cup comebacks: 2-0 down to Egypt, with a missed Messi penalty on top (his 2nd of the tournament, a first in World Cup history), the Albiceleste scored three goals in 11 minutes to flip the match (3-2) — Romero, Messi, then Enzo Fernández at 90+2. Messi now sits alone atop the Golden Boot race with 8 goals.

Switzerland, meanwhile, reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954 via a completely different script: a sterile 0-0 against Colombia, extra time, and a shootout settled by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who saved Cucho Hernández’s spot-kick before substitute Rubén Vargas buried the winning penalty.

Gunners spotlight: no Gunner involved in this one — the only one of the four quarters without a red-and-white shirt on the pitch.

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The GG take

Three of four quarters featuring a Gunner (or several) on the pitch doesn’t happen by accident — and it makes for a strange weekend for any Arsenal supporter, torn between shirts. On the pitch, the bracket keeps real variety: French defensive solidity, a Spanish super-sub spark, Anglo-Norwegian attacking depth, and an Argentine story that keeps finding new twists. Plenty to hold attention through to the semis.