​The world has been caught in an endless cycle of soccer, moving from one match to the next for nearly a month. That streak finally paused on Wednesday as the tournament took a breather after the round of 16 and before the quarterfinals began on Thursday. So, what did soccer fans do on the first day in weeks without a match? Perhaps they just kept working, walked the dog, or did the dishes. Some admitted they had no idea how they would fill the time without the World Cup on TV. Don’t worry, fans—the World Cup is back in action, and this is a look at each remaining team’s odds and their path to the title.
Of the 48 teams that arrived in North America for the matches, 40 have already departed, and among the eight survivors, only one can lift the trophy. Lionel Messi of Argentina (wearing No. 10) celebrated a second goal during the World Cup Round of 16 clash against Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, as photographed by Associated Press.
Four years ago, after one of the greatest World Cup finals ever, it seemed Messi might have played his last due to age and the long-sought objective finally achieved. Yet here we are in the quarterfinals, and Argentina looks capable of another deep run. After a dominant group stage, the team endured a tougher spell against Cape Verde and narrowly avoided a major upset against Egypt. The comeback was sparked by Cristian Romero, Messi, and Enzo Fernández, who found the net in the 79th and 83rd minutes, plus stoppage-time goals in the second minute and beyond to keep Argentina in the tournament.
“We’re happy to have made it through and with the way we did it. Things got really difficult when it became 2-0,” Messi told AS. “It was incredibly emotional to come back again. We suffered a lot once more, but this is the World Cup, and every game is so evenly matched.” Fernández, who scored the decisive goal, said it felt like a dream come true: “I’ve been dreaming of a goal like that for three years, ever since Qatar. This time, it finally came in the last minute.”
With the win, the last remaining South American team now faces Switzerland, which carries the lowest odds to win the finals (around 30-1) according to ESPN. Argentina sits among the top favorites, listed at roughly +400. A victory would pair them with either England or Norway in the semifinals.
If Argentina keeps advancing, it would become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup title, marking a 64-year gap since a repeat champion last occurred. The last team to repeat before that was Italy in 1938. If Argentina achieves the repeat, the pair of Messi and the veteran core that helped lead Qatar’s success would join Daniel Passarella as the sole Argentines with two World Cup titles, as noted by The Sporting News.
Switzerland’s Ruben Vargas, meanwhile, celebrated a late-game winner in a shootout during the Round of 16, continuing the Swiss bid to challenge the odds and push deeper into this World Cup.