FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals Preview: Who Will Advance to the Semifinals?
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Wed Jul 08, 2026, 11:15 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
FIFA World Cup
We have reached our final eight teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and there are some familiar faces in the crowd. France and Morocco met in the Semifinals of 2022, but now they go head to head a round earlier this year. Argentina beat Croatia in 2022, but this time they will have to go through the Swiss after they took down Colombia. England was our other familiar face after making the quarterfinals in 2022, losing to France 2-1. Now they have to get past Norway. And lastly, Spain and Belgium meet after Spain was eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2022, while Belgium did not make it out of the group. Let's take a look at our quarterfinal preview and see if anything is worth wagering before the matches begin!
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France vs. Morocco FIFA World Cup Picks
Hakimi and Morocco face a familiar foe in the Quarterfinals. Can they get past the French this time?
France beat Morocco 2-0 in the 2022 World Cup Semifinals. They found the back of the net just five minutes into the match, successfully defended for the rest of regulation, and even added a second goal in the 79′ minute. However, this Moroccan team is arguably better than they were four years ago, and they are even more battle tested.
Morocco had to play Brazil and the Netherlands already in this tournament, facing two top 10 teams in the world. France's toughest opponent has been Senegal, as they faced Norway's reserves in their group stage finale. This could be a wake up call for France, but offensively they are so gifted, I would imagine they find a way to move on.
Spain vs. Belgium FIFA World Cup Picks
Pedri and Spain take on Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals
Spain has yet to concede a goal through five matches of this tournament, and their offense still hasn't quite taken off like we expected. Now they face a Belgian squad who certainly struggled through group stage, and even in the Round of 32, but over their last 120 minutes on the pitch, Belgium has looked like a top 10 team in the world.
Can they keep it up against the pre-tournament favorites? Or will they meltdown against the Spaniards?
Norway vs. England FIFA World Cup Picks
Erling Haaland is singlehandedly leading Norway to their best World Cup finish ever
Norway is clearly the fan favorite of this tournament thanks to Erling Haaland, and I would imagine the entire world (besides the English) will be rooting for the Vikings to move on. However, it won't come easy, as England has plenty of defenders who are used to playing against Haaland.
But we've learned that might not matter, as he netted two against Gabriel and the Brazilian defense. England will certainly have their work cut out for them, and I would think they need to be more aggressive and offensive minded to get by the Norwegians.
Argentina vs. Switzerland FIFA World Cup Picks
Messi is leading the Golden Boot race in this tournament with eight goals through five matches
Our last quarterfinal happens in Kansas City between Argentina and Switzerland. Both of whom narrowly escaped in the Round of 16. Argentina netted three goals in a span of just 13 minutes to comeback from a two goal deficit against Egypt. The Swiss played Colombia to a nil-nil draw, eventually moving on in penalty kicks.
Switzerland clearly had a game plan against Colombia and it worked. Play to a scoreless draw, then win in a shootout. I would assume they come into this match with a very similar mindset, but as we've seen in the past, a one or two goal lead is not safe against this Argentinian attack.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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