The quarter-final pairings for the 2026 World Cup were confirmed after a round of 16 that saw holders Argentina survive a dramatic comeback against Egypt and Norway eliminate Brazil. The opening match on Thursday pits France against Morocco at Boston’s Gillette Stadium, a repeat of the 2022 semi-final in Qatar that France won 2-0. The winner will face either Spain or Belgium in the last four.

France reached this stage with five consecutive victories, scoring 14 goals—the joint-highest tally in the tournament. Captain Kylian Mbappé has contributed seven of those, leaving him one behind Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. After topping Group I with wins over Senegal, Iraq and Norway, Les Bleus swept aside Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32 and then edged Paraguay 1-0 in a tighter contest, with Mbappé converting a penalty. Assistant coach Guy Stephan, quoted in Moroccan media, described the Atlas Lions as “one of the best teams” and noted their progress since the 2022 semi-final, including a run to the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Morocco, the African champions, advanced by finishing second in Group C behind Brazil, with a draw against the South Americans and victories over Scotland and Haiti. In the knockout phase, they eliminated the Netherlands on penalties after a 1-1 draw, then defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who also led the under-20 side to a world title last year, has dismissed talk of revenge, telling reporters: “We just want to continue our journey.” Viewed from North Africa, the team’s back-to-back quarter-final appearances are seen as evidence of a structural rise, with Brahim Diaz’s four World Cup assists—a record for an African player—underpinning their creative threat.

Elsewhere in the draw, Spain’s quarter-final against Belgium in Los Angeles pits the European champions against a side that dismantled the United States 4-1. Spain have kept six consecutive clean sheets, a World Cup record, while Belgium recovered from a slow group stage to score nine times in their last two matches. On the other side of the bracket, Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City after Messi inspired a recovery from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2. “We didn’t want today to be the end,” Messi said afterwards. England, who beat Mexico 3-2, meet a Norway team spearheaded by Erling Haaland, whose two goals against Brazil took his tournament tally to seven.

The semi-final schedule will be determined by these results, with the France-Morocco victor meeting the winner of Spain-Belgium, and the Argentina-Switzerland survivor facing either England or Norway. The Golden Boot contest remains tight: Messi leads with eight goals, while Mbappé and Haaland have seven, and England’s Harry Kane has six.