The 2026 World Cup has already defined the eight survivors who continue in the race for the title. After the closing of the round of 16 with the classification of Switzerland over Colombia in a dramatic penalty shootout, the matches that will be played between July 9 and 11 in the United States were established.

The round will begin in Boston with a duel between France and Morocco, while Spain and Belgium will star in one of the most attractive confrontations of the tournament in Los Angeles. A day later the programming will be completed with the Norway-England and Argentina-Switzerland matches.

The Swiss team was the last to ensure its presence in this phase after winning 4-3 from the eleven steps against Colombia, after a match that ended without goals in both regulation time and extra time.

With this, the South American team was eliminated and Argentina became the only Conmebol representative still alive in the competition.

How the eight qualifiers reach the quarterfinal round

The Albiceleste achieved one of the most impressive results of the round of 16. The team led by Lionel Messi was on the ropes against Egypt, which had a two-goal advantage thanks to the goals of Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. However, Cristian Romero started the comeback, Messi equalized the score and Enzo Fernández sealed the final 3-2 in added time.

Their next rival will be a Switzerland that advanced thanks to the successes of Granit Xhaka, Zeki Amdouni, Cedric Itten and Rubén Vargas in the penalty shootout against Colombia.

On the other side of the table, France continues to show solidity. Those led by Didier Deschamps defeated Paraguay 1-0 with a penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé in the 70th minute. They will now face Morocco, which opened the round of 16 with a resounding 3-0 victory over Canada thanks to a double from Azzedine Ounahi and a goal from Soufiane Rahimi.

Spain also got its ticket narrowly. Luis de la Fuente's team had to wait until minute 90 1 to beat Portugal with a goal from Mikel Merino. In the next instance they will face Belgium, a team that eliminated the host United States 4-1 with goals from Charles De Ketelaere, Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku.

The lower part of the draw will have a clash between England and Norway. The English left Mexico behind in a demanding match thanks to a double from Jude Bellingham and a goal from Harry Kane from the penalty spot. On the other side will be the Norwegian team, boosted by two goals from Erling Haaland to defeat Brazil 2-1, which could only be reduced by Neymar.

The pairings were defined as follows:

With four matches scheduled in three days, the tournament enters a phase in which any mistake can be definitive and where the title contenders will seek to secure a place among the four best in the world.

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