What to know about the World Cup quarterfinals: Remaining teams, schedules and past finishes
France will face Morocco on Thursday for the round of 8.
After 95 games held over four weeks packed with upsets, hydration breaks, and late match comebacks, the stage is set for eight remaining nations to take the pitch in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.
What teams are in the World Cup quarterfinals?
Over the last month, 40 teams -- including co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States -- have fallen short of making it to the later round of 8.
There are just eight teams left after the tournament began on June 11: France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland.
Notably, Brazil and Germany are both absent from the round of 8 for the first time in the tournament's history, according to FIFA. While there have been years where one has made the quarterfinals, it's a first to see both longtime greats missing in action.
Four of the eight quarterfinalists have won the World Cup before -- Argentina with three titles, France with two, and England and Spain with one each.
Of the other countries, neither Belgium nor Morocco have made it past the semifinals.
Switzerland's last quarterfinals appearance was when they hosted in 1954.
Norway never made it past the round of 16 until this year.
The last country to win a first-time World Cup title was Spain in 2010.
World Cup quarterfinal game schedule
The next four matches will take place from Thursday, July 9, through Saturday, July 11, across four states.
France will face Morocco at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Spain will take on Belgium at 3 p.m. ET on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium.
Norway plays England at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday at Miami Stadium.
Defending World Cup champions Argentina face Switzerland for the final match of the round of 8 at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday at Kansas City Stadium.
What to know about the France vs. Morocco match
France, led by star striker Kylian Mbappé, who has netted seven goals and two assists so far this tournament, finished as runners-up in the 2022 Qatar tournament to Argentina after the match ended 3-3 and the French side ultimately lost 4-2 in penalties.
Mbappé has 19 goals in 19 World Cup game appearances, only topped by Lionel Messi who holds the all-time scoring record with 21 goals.
Thursday's game will be a rematch between Morocco and France, after Les Bleus defeated them in the semifinals four years ago.
Morocco, the last-standing African nation in the 2026 tournament, beat co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 this year. The Atlas Lions have never made it past the semifinals.
If France advances, the team will seek its third World Cup title. The French team last won the World Cup in 2018, beating Croatia 4-2.
How to watch the World Cup quarterfinals
All matches will air live on FOX and FS1 for English-language coverage, streaming on FOX One or the FOX Sports app. The Spanish-language broadcast airs on Telemundo and streams on Peacock.
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