2026 World Cup quarterfinals: dates, venues and favorites

A guide to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals: dates, venues, the one confirmed tie (France-Morocco) and the pairings still hanging on the round of 16.

The 2026 World Cup quarterfinals run from July 9 to 11 and mark the point where the tournament turns into sudden-death football between the eight best teams left. With several round-of-16 ties still being played this weekend, some quarterfinal matchups are already locked in while others hang on games that have not been played yet. In this guide to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals we run through the dates, the venues, the one confirmed matchup and the favorites, without inventing anything: whatever is still undecided, we say so plainly.

When and where the quarterfinals are played

The round is spread across three days and four cities in the United States. Boston opens the schedule on Thursday, Los Angeles takes over on Friday, and Miami and Kansas City close things out on Saturday with a double-header. It is one of the most intense weekends on the entire 2026 World Cup calendar.

• Thursday, July 9 — Boston Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts): France vs Morocco
• Friday, July 10 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Los Angeles): matchup to be decided
• Saturday, July 11 — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens): matchup to be decided
• Saturday, July 11 — Kansas City: matchup to be decided

The one confirmed matchup: France vs Morocco

The first quarterfinal already has a name. France and Morocco meet again on Thursday, July 9, at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, where a sellout is expected. This is no ordinary tie: it is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, which France won 2-0 on their way to the final. For Moroccan fans, it is a revenge story with every ingredient you could ask for.

Morocco arrive after thrashing co-host Canada 3-0, with a brace from Ounahi and a goal from Rahimi. The North African side are riding a remarkable streak: they are unbeaten in their last 34 internationals. France, for their part, beat Paraguay 1-0 on a penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé, and they have not conceded more than one goal in any match of this tournament.

The matchups that still depend on the round of 16

Here we need to be honest: the rest of the quarterfinals are not set yet, because there are round-of-16 ties being played between July 5 and 7. Any prediction about those matchups is speculation until the games have actually been played. Here are some of the last-16 ties that will decide the other three quarterfinals:

• Spain vs Portugal, Monday July 6 at Dallas Stadium — the Iberian derby, Lamine Yamal against Cristiano Ronaldo
• Argentina (reigning champions) vs Egypt, Tuesday July 7 at Atlanta Stadium — the Albiceleste come in after a nervy 3-2 win over Cape Verde in extra time
• Other last-16 ties involving Brazil, England, Mexico, the United States, Belgium and Colombia still to be completed

Until those games finish, there is no point in drawing the full quarterfinal bracket. What we do know is that the winners of those ties will fill the Los Angeles, Miami and Kansas City slots alongside France or Morocco.

The favorites at this 2026 World Cup

With the tournament in its decisive phase, these are the names that come up in every conversation about favorites, always subject to what happens in the round of 16:

• Argentina — reigning champions from 2022, with Messi leading the scoring charts this edition
• France — solid at the back, yet to concede more than one goal in a game, with Mbappé in top form
• Spain — with Lamine Yamal as their great hope, still needing to get past the Iberian derby
• Brazil — always contenders, but with their round-of-16 tie still to sort out
• Morocco — the surprise that has become a constant, 34 games unbeaten and dreaming of matching or bettering their best-ever run

Argentina are defending the title and Messi tops the scoring charts, but the road to the final runs through rounds where a single mistake is punished. France impress with their balance, Spain with the youth and talent of Yamal, and Morocco with their knack for surprising everyone. The quarterfinals are precisely the stage where these contenders start running into each other.

The quarterfinals are the perfect moment to test your football instincts against your friends. If you have not done it yet, setting up a prediction pool for the knockout rounds is an easy way to make every penalty, every extra-time period and every upset count for a little more. Invite four friends, agree on the rules, and let France-Morocco be the first matchup that gets you off the sofa.