World Cup 2026 Quarter-Finals — Ties, Odds and Preview
Available in USThe 2026 World Cup is down to its last eight, and the quarter-finals run across three days from Thursday 9 July to Saturday 11 July. France, the tournament favourites, open the round against Morocco in a rematch of the 2022 semi-final; Spain then meet Belgium, before a Saturday double-header pairs Norway with England and Argentina with Switzerland. This reference page gathers all four ties in fixture order, with their Irish kick-off times, the media-reported prices converted to fractional, the confirmed semi-final structure and the Irish viewing detail. Facts are drawn from the day’s sourced data; prices are indicative and were correct at the time of writing.
Contents
- 1. Quarter-finals at a glance
- 2. The four ties in fixture order
- 3. Quarter-final odds board
- 4. Outright winner market
- 5. Semi-final structure
- 6. Team news headlines
- 7. Irish viewing guide
- 8. Frequently asked questions
- The quarter-finals run 9–11 July: France v Morocco (Thu), Spain v Belgium (Fri), then Norway v England and Argentina v Switzerland (Sat).
- France are the shortest-priced side of the round at 4/7 to beat Morocco and 9/5 to win the tournament outright.
- Norway v England is the tightest tie on paper — England 9/10, Norway 14/5 — with the draw 5/2.
- Switzerland (first quarter-final since 1954) and Norway (first ever) are the round’s historic outsiders; Morocco are unbeaten and priced at 27/1 for the title.
1. Quarter-finals at a glance {#glance}
Eight teams remain from the expanded 48-team field: France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland. All three host nations (USA, Canada, Mexico) and five-time winners Brazil are out. The last eight split cleanly into two halves of the bracket, each feeding one semi-final. Kick-off times below are converted to Irish Standard Time (IST = ET + 5h); the round’s Irish viewing window runs from a 8:00 pm teatime start to a 2:00 am finish for the Saturday-night Argentina tie.
| Tie | Date | Kick-off (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| France vs Morocco | Thu 9 Jul | 9:00 pm | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
| Spain vs Belgium | Fri 10 Jul | 8:00 pm | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood (LA) |
| Norway vs England | Sat 11 Jul | 10:00 pm | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens |
| Argentina vs Switzerland | Sun 12 Jul | 2:00 am | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City |
2. The four ties in fixture order {#ties}
2.1 France vs Morocco (QF1) {#france-morocco}
The round opens with a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, which France won 2–0. France have won all six of their matches, though a Kylian Mbappé penalty was needed to edge Paraguay 1–0 in the last 16. Morocco are unbeaten — three wins, three draws — having knocked out the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32 and beaten hosts Canada 3–0 in the last 16. Aurélien Tchouaméni is a major doubt for France with an adductor problem; Morocco are without Ismaël Saibari (hamstring). A dedicated breakdown sits on the France v Morocco preview.
2.2 Spain vs Belgium (QF2) {#spain-belgium}
Spain carry the tournament’s meanest defence into Friday’s tie — four clean sheets in a row and only two goals conceded across the competition. They edged Portugal 1–0 in the last 16. Belgium reached the quarter-finals with a 4–1 win over the United States but have drawn three of their five matches and are without Amadou Onana (ruptured ACL). The head-to-head is emphatically one-sided: Spain are unbeaten against Belgium in seven meetings. Full detail on the Spain v Belgium preview.
2.3 Norway vs England (QF3) {#norway-england}
The tie of the round for Irish viewers, given England’s cultural pull. Norway are at their first World Cup since 1998 and into a first-ever quarter-final, driven by Erling Haaland’s seven goals — including a brace in the 2–1 last-16 upset of Brazil. England beat Mexico 3–2 at the Azteca but arrive with a defensive crisis: Jarell Quansah is suspended, Jordan Henderson is out of the tournament with a wrist fracture and Reece James is a doubt. See the Norway v England preview.
2.4 Argentina vs Switzerland (QF4) {#argentina-switzerland}
The round closes in the early hours of Sunday Irish time. Argentina survived a 3–2 last-16 thriller with Egypt and are led by Lionel Messi, the tournament’s leading scorer on eight goals. Switzerland are into their first quarter-final since 1954, having beaten Colombia 4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the last 16, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel a standout. Argentina have won five of seven historic meetings; Switzerland have never beaten them. More on the Argentina v Switzerland preview.
3. Quarter-final odds board {#odds}
Media-reported prices converted to fractional (Irish primary), decimal in brackets. "1" is the first-named team. Prices as of 8 July and indicative.
| Tie | Team 1 | Draw | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| France vs Morocco | 4/7 (1.57) | 29/10 (3.90) | 11/2 (6.50) |
| Spain vs Belgium | 8/13 (1.61) | 3/1 (4.00) | 17/4 (5.25) |
| Norway vs England | 14/5 (3.80) | 5/2 (3.50) | 9/10 (1.90) |
| Argentina vs Switzerland | 3/4 (1.75) | 5/2 (3.50) | 17/4 (5.25) |
France (4/7) are the shortest-priced favourites of the round; Norway v England is the tightest, with England at 9/10 only marginally favoured over a 5/2 draw. For the full market see the World Cup 2026 odds reference.
4. Outright winner market {#outright}
France have shortened into clear favourites for the title; Argentina’s surge after the Egypt comeback has pushed them clear of England. Fractional (primary), decimal in brackets, as of 8 July.
| Team | Fractional | Decimal |
|---|---|---|
| France | 9/5 | 2.80 |
| Spain | 37/10 | 4.70 |
| Argentina | 39/10 | 4.90 |
| England | 23/5 | 5.60 |
| Norway | 14/1 | 15.00 |
| Morocco | 27/1 | 28.00 |
| Belgium | 30/1 | 31.00 |
| Switzerland | 33/1 | 34.00 |
France are the standout at 9/5 across the board. Note a minor ordering discrepancy between books on Argentina and England — some Irish and UK lists price Argentina as short as 4/1, ahead of Spain — so line shopping is worth the effort at this stage. The tournament-long market is tracked on the outright winner odds page.
5. Semi-final structure {#semi-finals}
The bracket is fixed. The two semi-finals are set for the middle of next week:
| Semi-final | Pairing | Date | Kick-off (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF1 | Winner QF1 (FRA/MAR) vs Winner QF2 (ESP/BEL) | Tue 14 Jul | 8:00 pm | AT&T Stadium, Dallas |
| SF2 | Winner QF3 (NOR/ENG) vs Winner QF4 (ARG/SUI) | Wed 15 Jul | 8:00 pm | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
France or Morocco will meet Spain or Belgium in the first semi-final; the winners of the Saturday double-header meet in the second.
6. Team news headlines {#team-news}
The most consequential availability questions across the last eight:
- France — Aurélien Tchouaméni a major doubt (adductor/thigh); if he misses out, Manu Koné is expected to partner Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
- Morocco — Ismaël Saibari out (hamstring); Chadi Riad a doubt (knee) but expected available.
- Spain — Nico Williams a doubt (adductor) but expected in the matchday squad; Yéremy Pino passed fit.
- Belgium — Amadou Onana out for the tournament (ruptured ACL).
- Norway — Marcus Holmgren Pedersen a doubt (illness); Martin Ødegaard and Haaland fit.
- England — Jordan Henderson out (wrist fracture); Jarell Quansah suspended; Reece James a doubt (hamstring).
- Argentina — no fresh injuries; Gonzalo Montiel one booking from a semi-final suspension.
- Switzerland — Johan Manzambi a doubt (knee) but may return.
7. Irish viewing guide {#irish-viewing}
Every match is free-to-air in Ireland, shared between RTÉ and Virgin Media, with RTÉ-broadcast games also streamed on the RTÉ Player. The quarter-final schedule is friendly for Irish viewers on the first two days — France v Morocco in Thursday prime time (9:00 pm) and Spain v Belgium at 8:00 pm Friday — while Saturday’s double-header stretches late, with Argentina v Switzerland not kicking off until 2:00 am Sunday Irish time.
8. Frequently asked questions {#faq}
Sources (8–9 July 2026): fixtures, venues and kick-off times (Yahoo Sports, Al Jazeera, Olympics.com); odds media-reported (FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365 via CBS/SportsLine, DK Network, Squawka), converted to fractional; team news (ESPN, Sky Sports, Goal.com). Kick-off times converted to IST (ET + 5h). Odds for information only — 18+, gamble responsibly.
Related: World Cup 2026 Odds · Outright Winner Odds · World Cup 2026 Schedule (Ireland) · Golden Boot Race
