From 48, we’re now down to just eight. The World Cup quarter-finals begin today – and we’re one step closer to knowing who will lift the trophy on July 19.
To whet your appetite for the latter rounds, here is your team-by-team guide to every nation – from favourites France to ever-improving England…
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France vs Morocco
Thursday July 9, kick-off 9pm – Foxborough, USA
France
Route to the quarter-finals: France cruised through the group with three wins, making light work of a Group of Death scenario with Senegal and fellow quarter-finalists Morocco and Norway. Their 3-0 smashing of Sweden in the round of 32 elevated them to tournament favourites, but their last-16 win over Paraguay was less than convincing. Are cracks starting to show?
Best player so far: Kylian Mbappe is making a solid claim for best player in the world. He has put a tumultuous season with Real Madrid behind him by setting this World Cup alight with seven goals so far. That’s taken him to 19 goals in 19 World Cup games overall. He’s competing with Lionel Messi for the all-time record, and is probably the closest player to his individual quality at the tournament.
Gem to watch: Manu Kone has started three out of France’s last four games in the tournament, including the last-16 win over Paraguay. The 25-year-old was relatively unknown before the World Cup, but the Roma midfielder’s displays are catching the eye of Europe’s elite. He’s the modern midfielder – strong, calm in the opposition press and able to carry the ball into testing areas.
Strength: That front four. Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele are at the top of their respective games, with exciting young talents Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola vying for the final spot. It’s an attack that has managed to gel together.
Weakness: They don’t have many. One area to look out for is suspensions. Olise and Barcola are one booking away from missing the semi-finals. Losing those two would seriously damage their creative ability and force a rethink of their forward plans.
Morocco
Route to the quarter-finals: Morocco became the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2022 and have backed up that display with another promising campaign. They held Brazil to an exciting draw in the opener before winning the other two group games. A penalty shootout win over the Dutch in the round of 32 elevated their status, before a routine win over co-hosts Canada was their best all-around performance yet.
Best player so far: Achraf Hakimi is the captain and star player, having just sealed back-to-back Champions League trophies with PSG. He may be a right-back but his attacking play causes havoc for opposition defences. Wingers don’t know whether to track back and full-backs don’t know who to pick up.
Gem to watch: Ayyoub Bouaddi was born in France – and even played for Les Bleus U21s team as recently as this year. But now he could be the breakout star of the tournament – and perhaps one of France’s biggest ever regrets. The 18-year-old is a key all-round cog in midfield, showing a very cool head on young shoulders.
Strength: Morocco spread the goals and assists around, with six different goalscorers from their opening five games. If you look at their attacking quality, Ismael Saibari, Azzedine Ounahi, Diaz and Bilal El Khannouss have a lot of experience at the highest level, with dangerous options like Chemsdine Talbi and Soufiane Rahimi off the bench.
Weakness: Morocco have a bit of a reputation for being ‘nearly men’ who lack durability in big games. They threw away the Africa Cup of Nations final on the pitch – before winning the trophy off it – while injuries derailed their last World Cup campaign. Top scorer Saibari came off injured after 20 minutes in the last game and could miss this game.
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Spain vs Belgium
Friday July 10 kick-off 8pm – Los Angeles, USA
Spain
Route to the quarter-finals: Spain began with an embarrassing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde but recovered to hammer Saudi Arabia and beat Uruguay to top Group H. They delivered a statement victory in the round of 32, impressively thrashing Austria 3-0 with their best performance before beating Portugal thanks to Mikel Merino’s late winner.
Best player so far: Mikel Oyarzabal has scored four times but it’s Pau Cubarsi’s impact at centre-back that has helped keep Spain’s defence watertight. The 19-year-old Barcelona defender has been their most consistent performer and has developed a strong partnership alongside Aymeric Laporte.
Gem to watch: Lamine Yamal made a slow start to the World Cup as he rediscovered his sharpness after returning from a thigh injury. He’s scored just once, although he completed his first 90 minutes against Portugal and there is much more to come from the 18-year-old.
Strength: Spain are known for their stylish football and attacking flair, but it’s their defence that has impressed most. Luis de la Fuente’s side are yet to concede a goal, have by far the lowest xG against of just 1.49 and have only faced five shots on target.
Weakness: Cape Verde showed the blueprint of how to frustrate Spain, who have at times struggled in attack. They have underperformed their xG and have a conversion rate that is lower than that of all the other quarter-finalists.
Belgium
Route to the quarter-finals: Belgium struggled initially in Group G, drawing their first two matches against Egypt and Iran before hammering New Zealand 5-1 to finish top. They then looked set to be heading out when two goals down to Senegal with four minutes left, only to score twice and then net a 125th-minute winner in extra time. A 4-1 win over the USA in the previous round was much more straightforward.
Best player so far: Romelu Lukaku has scored three times and Youri Tielemans has played a major part in keeping Belgium in the tournament, but it’s Leandro Trossard who has been his country’s standout performer. The Arsenal winger has been a constant threat, scoring two goals and providing two assists, while creating the most chances of any player at the tournament.
Gem to watch: Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere significantly strengthened his case for a starting spot with two goals and an assist against the USA. The 6ft 4in 25-year-old, who is left-footed, offers a different profile to Lukaku and could worry Spain at set pieces and crosses.
Strength: Belgium have nailed their press. They’ve had 15 shots, almost double than the next best, when they’ve won a high turnover and their four goals from them are the most of any side. But will they be brave enough to continue with their aggressive approach against Spain’s possession-first style?
Weakness: It would have been unthinkable a year ago that Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku would be substituted in the 56th minute of a World Cup game when two goals down to Senegal. De Bruyne was an unused substitute against the USA, while Doku has yet to register a goal involvement. Two of Belgium’s main men haven’t turned up yet.
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Norway vs England
Saturday July 11, kick-off 10pm – Miami, USA
Norway
Route to the quarter-finals: Norway have been the entertaining surprise package. Victories over Iraq and Senegal earned them knockout progression with one game to spare, allowing them to play their reserves against France in the final group game. Victories over Ivory Coast and Brazil have caught the eye and sent them to their first World Cup quarter-final. But as well as matches, Norway have won the hearts and minds of the world via their infamous ‘Row’ celebration. How far will the ship carry?
Best player so far: Erling Haaland. The Man City striker had never played in the World Cup before, but has seven goals in four games. He barely has any touches of the ball and looks completely anonymous at times, but it’s a false sense of security – he will then end up with two match-winning goals. A monster, if given time and space.
Gem to watch: Aged just 21, Antonio Nusa looks like a future world beater. The RB Leipzig winner curled in a glorious opener in the last-32 win over Ivory Coast to fully announce himself. A tricky winger who can go either side of the defender, he’s exactly the wide threat England should worry about as they mull over which right-back to use.
Strength: Haaland aside, Norway are pretty good at hydration breaks. They tend to come out very strong after a break in play – whether it be for half-time or hydration. They have scored three goals in the 10 minutes after such a pause, and Norway used the second half break in play against Brazil to turn momentum in their favour. Manager Stale Solbakken likes to put his message across.
Weakness: While Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Nusa lead an exciting frontline, can the rest of the team match up? Defensively, they are quite leaky – only four teams have conceded more xG than Norway. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland was player of the match against Brazil for keeping the scoreline down.
England
Route to the quarter-finals: Belief grew after an opening win over Croatia, but it shrunk after a goalless draw with Ghana. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have been crucial in their wins over Panama, DR Congo and Mexico since then. None of those wins have been convincing enough to make them tournament favourites, but that victory over co-hosts Mexico in the Azteca Stadium should breathe a new wave of confidence in the squad.
Best player so far: Take your pick between Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Both have shown they can win games on their own. Kane is one of the world’s best strikers and has 73 goals for club and country this season. Bellingham has the “bite” – according to his manager – to drive the team forward and open up spaces in the penalty area. England join France as the only teams with two players on four goals or more so far in this World Cup.
Gem to watch: He’s hardly a gem given he is a high-profile player in this team, but Bukayo Saka has really gone under the radar this tournament. In a summer in which he has struggled for fitness, the England winger still has three assists in 192 minutes. One more and he breaks an England record for most assists at a World Cup.
Strength: Many questioned Gareth Southgate’s tactical ability but Thomas Tuchel’s in-game changes have been phenomenal so far. He fired the team up at half-time against Croatia, brought on Anthony Gordon to change the tide against DR Congo – and got every major call right against Mexico.
Weakness: Right-back. Reece James is struggling with an injury, Jarell Quansah is suspended, Djed Spence is also carrying a fitness issue – and is suspect defensively. England are at the stage of the tournament where they are coming up against the very, very best. How they manage that right-hand side is going to be crucial to their progression into the latter stages.
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Argentina vs Switzerland
Sunday July 12, kick-off 2am – Kansas City, USA
Argentina
Route to the quarter-finals: Argentina have won all five of their matches, cruising past Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J but their knockout ties have not been so easy. Cape Verde almost produced a huge shock in the last 32, losing in extra time to an own-goal before Egypt conceded three times in the final 11 minutes to blow a two-goal lead.
Best player so far: Guess who?! Lionel Messi continues to defy his age, dazzling with eight goals, including a hat-trick and a crucial equaliser against Egypt. If only he were good at penalties.
Gem to watch: Perhaps distracted by transfer rumours and after coming into the tournament off an injury, Julian Alvarez is yet to score but undoubtedly has the talent to make a big contribution in the closing stages. The forward looked sharper against Egypt and was denied scoring by an excellent save.
Strength: Messi’s wizardry aside, Argentina don’t know how to lose. They overcame adversity against both Cape Verde and Egypt to reach this stage, which had shades of their penalty shoot-out victories over the Netherlands and France on their way to glory at the 2022 World Cup.
Weakness: But in those dramatic victories, Cape Verde and Egypt showed that Argentina are vulnerable to counter-attacks. Fast breaks often exposed Lionel Scaloni’s defence, and against better teams at this stage of the tournament, their backline will be tested even more.
Switzerland
Route to the quarter-finals: Switzerland topped Group B with wins over Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina, plus a draw against Qatar. They comfortably beat Algeria before edging past Colombia on penalties to reach their first quarter-final since 1954.
Best player so far: Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi has been the Swiss star with three goals and two assists before missing the Colombia match through injury. If fit to return, his box-to-box energy and ball-carrying ability can provide the spark Switzerland need to help shock Argentina.
Gem to watch: Dan Ndoye is one of Switzerland’s most dangerous attacking outlets. The winger scored in the 2-0 win over Algeria and stretches defences with his pace, direct dribbling and work rate. He’s had the most shots Ndoye’s ability to exploit space on the counter could prove decisive.
Strength: Switzerland’s tricky forward players mean they get fouled a lot. Only Morocco and England have drawn more than Switzerland and on 10 occasions, the opposition has been booked, the joint second-most at the tournament. It’s won them two penalties and leaves defenders on edge.
Weakness: Switzerland created just 0.39 xG against Colombia in the previous round and that was largely down to the absence of attacking threats Ruben Vargas, who was not fit enough to start, and Manzambi. Not having their best options available will hinder their chances of an upset.
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Predict the knockout stage!
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