​The Round of 16 is progressing rapidly at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the Quarterfinals are taking shape, bringing us closer to the potential Semifinal matchups. With the quar terfinals beginning to crystallize, fans can start speculating about who might meet whom in the next stage as the bracket tightens. Below is the current snapshot of the Quarterfinals—both confirmed results and looming pairings—along with a look ahead to what the Semifinals could hold. To help visualize the bracket, here’s the World Cup bracket courtesy of The Sporting News. We’ll start by laying out the Quarterfinal matchups, then outline the possible Semifinal pairings.
The Quarterfinals at the 2026 World Cup feature several high-stakes clashes, with some results already in the books and others still to be decided. The first Quarterfinal fixture was determined on Saturday when Morocco defeated Canada 3-0, while France edged Paraguay 1-0 thanks to a penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé. This setup marks a rematch of sorts from the 2022 World Cup, as a pairing that featured in the semifinals in Qatar could now occur one round earlier in this tournament. In that famous 2022 encounter, France started strong with a goal from Theo Hernández in the fifth minute and sealed the result when Randal Kolo Muani found the net in the 79th minute.
There’s a festive sense of historical context as Norway advanced to the Quarterfinals for the first time in their history after a 2-1 win over Brazil on Sunday. Erling Haaland continued to pile up goals in the Golden Boot race, bringing his tournament total to seven. Their next test will be against England, who clinched a Quarterfinal berth with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Mexico in Mexico City on Sunday night.
The third Quarterfinal match was decided on Monday: tournament favorite Spain eliminated Portugal with a late winner from Mikel Merino, while the United States failed to advance after a 4–1 loss to Belgium, joining the host nations’ exits in this round. The fourth and final Quarterfinal matchup was set to be determined on Tuesday, with Lionel Messi and Argentina hoping to push back into contention by facing Mohamed Salah and Egypt at noon Eastern in Atlanta. The winner would advance to face the victor of the Tuesday evening match between Switzerland and Colombia. Update: Argentina’s 3-2 comeback win over Egypt secured one half of the semifinal bracket, while Switzerland clinched the other spot by beating Colombia on penalties.
Looking ahead to the Semifinals, the left side of the bracket could feature a clash between France and Spain once France or Morocco progresses, while the other pairing on that side would pit the winner of the Spain-Belgium contest against the France-Morocco survivor. Update: With France earning a 2-0 win over Morocco, they now await the winner of Friday’s Spain-Belgium match, which Spain ultimately won 2-1. That sets up a potential Spain-France clash if the semifinals align as hoped. On the right side of the bracket, the path would see Argentina or Switzerland or another outcome emerge from Tuesday’s results, with the winner facing the other half’s victor in a bid to reach the final.
In short, the Quarterfinals are finally taking shape with Morocco’s triumph over Canada, France’s narrow win over Paraguay, Norway’s historic ascent to this stage with a star turn from Haaland, England’s resilient display to advance, Spain’s late winner over Portugal, and the USA’s exit after their loss to Belgium. Argentina’s comeback win over Egypt and Switzerland’s penalty shootout victory over Colombia have set up a compelling Semifinal landscape. As of now, France sits in a promising position on the left side of the bracket, awaiting the outcome of Spain vs Belgium, while the other half of the bracket could yield Argentina or another contender to face Switzerland in the semifinals, depending on Tuesday’s and Friday’s results. Fans can stay tuned for final updates as the remaining matches determine the exact Semifinal pairings and the path to the final in this thrilling 2026 World Cup edition.