Power ranking the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals matchups: Can Norway's dream run continue?
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals are officially set, and it's safe to say that fans should be in for a treat. Each of the four matchups provides unique storylines, a top team, a top player, and/or anything else you could possibly want from the world's biggest tournament. So with a loaded run of games that begins on Thursday, July 9, running through Saturday, July 11, we're going to break down the matchups in a power rankings format, from the best game to the "worst," even if the No. 4 spot still provides exceptional storylines.
Let's dive in with a game that already had plenty to talk about, even before the reports of an illness spreading across one of the teams.
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Power ranking the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals matchups
1. Norway vs. England
It's not fair to call this Norway team the "surprise team" of the tournament, especially with how exceptional Erling Haaland and company have played. However, they've been incredibly impressive in both knockout-phase victories: 2-1 wins over the Ivory Coast and Brazil. They also won their first two group stage games, and the lone loss came against France when they rested almost every starter.
The recent reports of an illness affecting the Norway squad ahead of this matchup against England make things even more interesting than they already were. Pair that with England coming off an incredibly tough round of 16 matchup against Mexico, and this game provides storylines galore.
As for England, it's hard not to tip your cap to this squad. Even after nearly coming up short against Congo DR in the round of 32, England stepped up when it mattered most, finding two goals in the 75th and 86th minutes from Harry Kane to pull off the victory. They also held off a furious late rally from Mexico to grab a 3-2 win in that game while playing a man down from the 54th minute on.
This game should make for must-see TV, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see it go into extra time and possibly even penalty kicks.
2. Spain vs. Belgium
Here's the million-dollar question for Belgium: are they back to the form we're all used to seeing from this explosive side? After falling behind 2-0 to Senegal in the round of 32, some late subs and exceptional play fueled a wild comeback, with Belgium scoring in the 86th and 89th minutes to level the score. They went on to win in penalties before just running over the U.S. men's national team 4-1 in the next game.
If that offensive firepower is back for Belgium, it's going to make for an excellent game against Spain, who faced their own tall task in a 1-0 victory over Portugal. Spain needed a 91st-minute goal to keep the game from going to extra time, but it has looked rock-solid for the most part throughout the tournament, even after a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde to begin the World Cup.
If Belgium's offensive upside from the last game and the end of the Senegal matchup continues against Spain, it could create a matchup that could prove to be not just the best of the quarterfinals, but possibly the best of the entire tournament.
3. Argentina vs. Switzerland
Ranking this Argentina team and Lionel Messi as the No. 3 best game of the quarterfinals feels wrong, for several reasons. Argentina also found itself in need of serious heroics in the round of 16 against Egypt, and they got just that. After trailing 2-0, Argentina scored three times from the 79th minute on, including a superb equalizer from Messi.
There's little doubt that Argentina remains one of the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, but Switzerland has done an excellent job of getting results, and they've scored two or more goals in three of their five matchups thus far. However, their strong offensive play was cooled against Colombia, which finished 0-0 and was decided on penalties.
Switzerland will need to showcase its offensive upside against Argentina, and it'll be interesting to see if Argentina can bounce back defensively after allowing two goals in each of its knockout-round matchups.
4. France vs. Morocco
Highlighting just how great these quarterfinals matchups are, I can truthfully say that France vs. Morocco is one of the games that I'm personally most intrigued by. You could easily make an argument that this will be one of the two best games, and I wouldn't be surprised if it winds up playing out that way.
However, France has looked exceptional, even if its 1-0 victory over Paraguay didn't produce the high-scoring offensive explosions we saw from the French side in its first four games. France dominated possession, shots on target and virtually everything offensively in the win over Paraguay, but Morocco has shown the ability to thrive offensively in its last final group stage game (4-1 over Haiti) and specifically in its 3-0 victory over Canada.
The big question is whether Morocco can slow down a loaded French front line, but it's worth noting they've allowed more than one goal just once all tournament. To France's credit, they've also been stout defensively, allowing no more than one goal in any game and just two goals all tournament. However, they faced a Norway team that opted to rest its starters, so this game against Morocco should prove to be a real test.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Power ranking the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals matchups: Can Norway's dream run continue?