The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup title intensifies this weekend as the final two quarter-final matches take centre stage in the United States.
Norway will tackle England at the Miami Stadium on Saturday night (11pm South African time), before Argentina face Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium at 3am on Sunday morning. The winners will complete the semifinal line-up after France and Spain booked their places by defeating Morocco and Belgium, respectively.
Norway vs England
Norway have emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages. They progressed from Group I after beating Iraq 4-1 and Senegal 3-2 before suffering a 4-1 defeat to France. Despite finishing behind France, the Scandinavians carried their momentum into the knockout rounds, eliminating Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in the Round of 32 before producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by defeating five-time champions Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16.
England, meanwhile, topped Group L after an impressive group-stage campaign against Croatia, Ghana and Panama. The Three Lions continued their strong form by overcoming DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32 before edging hosts Mexico 3-2 in an entertaining Round of 16 clash.
The spotlight will fall on Norway’s prolific striker Erling Haaland, who has been among the tournament’s leading scorers, while captain Martin Ødegaard continues to dictate play from midfield. England will once again rely on captain Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden as they seek to end the country’s 60-year wait for another World Cup title.
Historically, England have the richer World Cup pedigree, having won the tournament on home soil in 1966 before reaching the semifinals in 1990 and 2018 and the quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022. Norway’s greatest World Cup achievement came in 1998 when they reached the Round of 16, making this their best World Cup run in modern history.
Argentina vs Switzerland
Defending world champions Argentina continue their quest to retain the trophy after another impressive campaign.
La Albiceleste dominated Group J before surviving a thrilling Round of 32 encounter against Cape Verde, winning 3-2. They then produced another dramatic comeback in the Round of 16, recovering from a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the last eight.
Switzerland have quietly become one of the tournament’s toughest teams to beat. They advanced from Group B before defeating Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, they displayed tremendous discipline and resilience to eliminate Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw.
Argentina’s hopes will once again rest on the creativity of Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez, while Switzerland will look to captain Granit Xhaka to control midfield alongside the dangerous attacking threat of Dan Ndoye and Breel Embolo.
Argentina are one of football’s most successful nations, winning the FIFA World Cup in 1978, 1986 and 2022, while finishing runners-up in 1930, 1990 and 2014. Switzerland have never won the tournament but have consistently reached the knockout stages, with quarterfinal appearances in 1934, 1938 and 1954 before reaching the Round of 16 in Qatar four years ago.
With four former world champions still alive alongside ambitious challengers Norway and Switzerland, the remaining quarterfinals promise high-quality football, fierce competition, and potentially more surprises as the battle for a place in the semifinals reaches its climax.