The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals continue with the final two semifinal places at stake. England will face Norway, followed by defending champions Argentina playing against Switzerland. France and Spain have already secured their spots in the semifinals, leaving four teams competing for the remaining two positions.

According to the Opta supercomputer, England and Argentina are favorites to advance, but Norway and Switzerland aim to cause upsets. Norway holds a 25.1% chance of winning in regular time, with draws after 90 minutes occurring in 24.6% of simulations.

In other developments, the Portuguese Football Federation announced that a 71-year-old successor will replace Roberto Martinez, who recently departed following Portugal’s 1-0 round-of-16 loss to Spain. Although Cristiano Ronaldo stated the 2026 World Cup would be his last, he has not confirmed whether he will continue playing for Portugal.

Kylian Mbappe reflected on his World Cup achievements, saying, “I won the World Cup in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2022, but this team hasn’t achieved anything yet. It probably has the greatest potential because there is so much quality in the squad, but potential alone doesn’t make you the strongest team.”

Sources