4 hours ago
3
Ninety-six games played, just eight more to come. FIFA World Cup 2026 has lived up to its billing as the biggest of all time, and may yet end up in the conversation as the best tournament too.
We’re down to the final eight nations with hopes of winning the trophy – four of them for the first time – while the other four are aiming to write a new glorious chapter in their football history.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items- list 1 of 4World Cup Golden Boot: Messi leads Mbappe, Haaland before quarterfinals
- list 2 of 4FIFA World Cup: Biggest takeaways from the round of 16
- list 3 of 4Key talking points before the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals
- list 4 of 4Morocco dealt huge blow as injured Saibari out of World Cup quarterfinal
But now the last 16 and the first rest day of the competition are out of the way, who has the best chance of being crowned champions in New York/New Jersey on July 19?
Al Jazeera ranks the contenders for the title:
Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi has been one of the breakout stars of World Cup 2026 [Alex Grimm/Getty Images via AFP]8. Switzerland
It feels like a place in the last eight for the first time in 72 years is already a win for the Swiss, and few expect them to make further history.
Murat Yakin’s men benefitted from a kind draw which pitted them against the cohosts Canada, Bosnia and Qatar, and they only managed to ensure top of that group by withstanding late pressure from the Maple Leafs after being held to a 1-1 draw by Qatar in their opening match.
They overcame Algeria without too much alarm in the last 32 but needed penalties to eliminate an off-form Colombia in the last round, with the Swiss failing to register a shot on target after the 32nd minute of normal time.
The potential loss of speedy 20-year-old Johan Manzambi, one of the tournament’s breakout stars, to a knee injury in training will diminish their hopes against Argentina. Even if they did manage to shock the world and send Messi and co home early, the chances are they would struggle in a semifinal against either England or Norway, let alone a final against France or Spain.
Star Morocco midfielder Brahim Diaz (#10) will clash with Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappe of France in the quarterfinal [Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP]7. Morocco
When Morocco flew out of the blocks in the opening 45 minutes of their Group C game with Brazil, the world thought this was a new and improved version of the Atlas Lions which had made a shock run to the last-four in Qatar, however they failed to put that game to bed, despite their dominance.
A 1-0 win over Scotland followed in their second match, before twice having to come from behind to see-off Haiti in the final group match.
They then played the Netherlands in the last 32, and although they recovered from falling behind in the final 20 minutes to force extra-time with a goal in stoppage-time, they needed penalties to progress from another game they might well have won.
In the last 16, they played their best match of the tournament against Canada. The North Africans were clinical, scoring three second-half goals to set up a France quarterfinal meeting.
They will need all that and more to avoid a one-sided defeat against France, who knocked them out in the last four in 2022.
While only a handful of the XI beaten four years ago are likely to feature, the loss of leading scorer Ismael Saibari will also not help their cause against a nation where six of their squad were born. Indeed teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi captained the French under-21 side in a European Championship qualifier just 101 days before he is set to face Les Bleus in Boston, but switched allegiance on the eve of the tournament.
If Morocco are able to rediscover their form and spring an almighty surprise to see-off their old foes then all bets are off. They already know what it takes to beat Spain or Belgium, they did so in Qatar, while a potential final would not only make history as the first African and Arab country to take part in the showpiece, it might provide the wave of momentum which takes them all the way to the trophy itself.
Youri Tielemans and Belgium have been one of the surprise teams of the tournament but will face a huge test against unbeaten Spain in the quarterfinal [Alex Grimm/Getty Images via AFP]6. Belgium
Belgium would have been the No 8 ranking a few days ago, but they had a reshuffle against the US and looked far better than they did in any of the group stage games or the first 75-minutes or so against Senegal in the Round of 32.
Inspired by the attacking play of Leandro Trossard, coach Rudi Garcia might have stumbled across a formula which works, leaving Kevin De Bruyne on the sidelines for the first time in 38 Belgium games and having Jeremy Doku and Romelo Lukaku as other potential game-changers off the bench.
The Red Devils certainly began slowly and only a 5-1 thumping of New Zealand in their final group game saw them through as group winners on goals scored, after failing to beat Egypt or Iran.
They made even harder work against Senegal, who should have been out of sight long before the comeback, when Lukaku and Youri Tielemans capitalised on some slack defending to score in the final four minutes of normal time before the latter dispatched a penalty five minutes from the end of extra-time to complete the unlikely turnaround.
Fuelled by a sense of injustice at the reversal of the ban for USA player Folarin Balogun, they were far better against the host nation, but again benefitted from some poor defending, something which they cannot expect against Spain’s miserly defence.
It feels like the end of the road, and an era, for Belgium’s ageing golden generation, and if they did somehow get past Spain, then France would surely represent an insurmountable hurdle in the last four anyway.
Norway’s star forward Erling Haaland is equal-second in the Golden Boot race heading into the quarterfinal tie against England [AFP]5. Norway
We’re officially in uncharted territory for these dark horses. They came into the tournament never having won a knockout match at the World Cup – now they are eyeing three in a row.
Ruthlessly efficient is one way to describe Norway’s passage to the last eight. They arrived at their first World Cup in 28 years with a plan and they have they stuck to it.
After an opening group game victory against Iraq, the pivotal match of their summer was always likely to be the second group game against Senegal. They won it 3-2. It ensured their passage to the knockout stages as runners-up and allowed Stale Solbakken to rest 10 players for the group finale against France.
Much was made of the decision not to try and match Les Bleus for a potential top-spot in Group I, but despite the 4-1 defeat, it still looks like a great call.
Norway left it late before seeing-off Ivory Coast in the Round of 32. Against Brazil in the last 16, they also left it late but finished strong with two goals in the final 11 minutes from Erling Haaland.
The 25-year-old has scored seven goals from just 18 shots across four games in this tournament, though the game management of midfielder Martin Odegaard, particularly against Brazil, has gone under the radar. The Arsenal player has three assists already, the same as left-sided super-sub Andreas Schjelderup, while corner-taker Patrick Berg has two more.
Quarterfinal opponents England will have to figure out a way to deal with crosses into the middle better than they have done in their previous games and their management of Odegaard, as well as their own fitness levels, could be key to determining which European nation goes through to the semifinals to face, in all likelihood, Argentina.
However, for all their attacking efficiency, Norway have kept just one clean sheet in their past dozen matches and, were it not for the heroics of keeper Orjan Nyland, they might already be on their way home.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will fancy their chances against defenders Kristoffer Ajer and Torbjorn Heggem and we could be in for another ding-dong battle with goals galore in sapping conditions, rather than any cagey defensive battles.
Lionel Messi and Argentina needed to rally to defeat Egypt in the Round of 16 [Paul Childs/Reuters]4. Argentina
Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland. It’s not a bad run for a defending champion, is it?
However it has been far from plain sailing for the Albiceleste, who have had to lean heavily on the 39-year-old legs and ageless football brain of Lionel Messi just to make it to the quarterfinals.
Messi leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals – though it should be double figures already with two penalty misses to his name.
Staring at the end of his World Cup career and trailing Egypt 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining, Messi put the nation on his back and registered his first assist of the tournament as Cristian Romero halved the deficit, before thumping the equaliser himself four minutes later before the turnaround was completed in controversial fashion in stoppage-time.
The outpouring of emotion from Messi at full-time showed just how close the two-time winners came to being eliminated. Expect them to try and learn their lesson against Switzerland, who possess less of the counterattacking threat than either of the African teams, especially if Johan Manzambi is ruled-out by the knee injury sustained in training.
Expect a potential semifinal with England to be a massive occasion – it’s a rivalry which runs deep, on and off the pitch. While this Argentina side boast extraordinary experience and clearly demonstrated their hunger, their starting XI against Egypt was the second oldest they have ever fielded in a World Cup, and they continue to look suspect at the back, something that Harry Kane, or even potentially Haaland – should Norway get through – would be sure to test.
If it is to be a rematch against France in the final – as many predicted before and during the competition – then we can look forward to another extraordinary climax, with Les Bleus set on revenge for their penalty shootout heartache in Qatar after a pulsating 3-3 draw.
Who knows what mastery Messi is capable of summoning on any given day, but this France team is older, wiser and extra-motivated to land their third title, and it would take something extraordinary to stop them.
England will rely heavily on stars Jude Bellingham, left, and Harry Kane, to take them to the semifinal [Yuri Cortez/AFP]3. England
The Three Lions were seeded fourth in this tournament and, as a result, a run to the semifinals should be the minimum expectation for Thomas Tuchel’s men. It also comes with the added bonus of avoiding France or Spain until the final.
England capped off an up and down World Cup in the Round of 16, recording one of their most memorable wins of all-time to overcome Mexico in the cauldron of the Azteca, playing out 58 minutes with 10 men and holding on for a 3-2 victory.
Norway will be a very different proposition in the sweltering conditions of Miami, and England have the most potential injury disruption of any side, with fitness issues over the likes of key players Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Reece James, while stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham know a booking in the quarterfinal would rule them out of any potential semifinal.
If they can keep Haaland quiet and prevent Odegaard from dictating the play, they will fancy their chances of reaching the last four for the fourth time.
If they do, and with Kane and Bellingham available, don’t discount them winning it to reach their first World Cup final since 1966.
Switzerland would hold little fear for the now tournament-savvy Three Lions in a potential semifinal, while an ageing Argentina side have been caused issues by the width, trickery and counter-attacking threat of both Cape Verde and Egypt in the past two rounds, opening the door of opportunity for the likes of Saka, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford to exploit, should England make it to the last four.
France or Spain in the final might be a different matter, however.
Les Bleus knocked England out in the quarterfinal in Qatar after an epic encounter while Spain bested them in the dramatic Euro 2024 final.
There would be the motivation of revenge, of course, but France’s front four would likely cause England’s makeshift back-line plenty of issues. The Spain game would likely be more equal, though reliant on England to win the midfield battle and for whoever plays full-back to try to keep Lamine Yamal quiet.
Mikel Oyarzabal, left, is Spain’s leading goal scorer at World Cup 2026 [Etienne Laurent/AFP]2. Spain
It’s not how you start it’s how you finish. Spain did not begin well, having to settle for a goalless draw with Cape Verde – although hindsight makes that result look a lot more respectable.
They made light work of Saudi Arabia in the group stage and then Austria in the Round of 32, although they had to grind out victories over Uruguay in their group finale – then Portugal in the last 16, courtesy of a stoppage-time winner.
Their hopes are built on their defence and they have not conceded a goal in the tournament. Spain have six straight World Cup clean sheets dating back to Qatar 2022, the longest streak in history – and they have allowed just five shots on target in their opening five matches.
At the other end, Mikel Oyarzabal has bagged four goals, but he’s missed a few chances to truly cement himself in the Golden Boot race and while their defence and midfield look solid enough, the X-factor Lamine Yamal has been visible in flashes only.
The European champions should have enough to see off Belgium in the quarters, despite the Red Devils’ improved showing against the USA, but a semifinal against, in all likelihood, France, will be a different story.
While teenage defender Pau Cubarsi looks at home on the biggest stage of all, he’s yet to face the kind of test that Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele will pose, while either Desire Doue or Bradley Barcola would cause problems for Spain’s right-back, whether Luis de la Fuente opts for Pedro Porro or Marcos Llorente.
If they make the final, Spain will be favourites to win it, but ‘if’ remains the biggest two-letter word in all of sports.
Ousmane Dembele, right, celebrates with Kylian Mbappe and other teammates after scoring France’s third goal against Norway in Group I [Martin Meissner/AP]1. France
France are the class of the field with a fearsome foursome in attack and a defence which, although it hasn’t really been tested yet, has only allowed two goals in five matches.
The most uncomfortable France have looked in any game was the first half of their opening game against Senegal, when Mbappe looked off the pace and Senegal were guilty of missing good chances.
In every match since, it has been largely plain sailing: seeing off Iraq and Norway’s B-team to top the group, then sweeping Sweden aside and keeping their composure to see-off Paraguay in a feisty Round of 16 encounter.
Morocco will be a big step-up. But with Mbappe eyeing both the Golden Boot and all-time World Cup scoring record, and Olise, Dembele, Doue and Barcola all providing a threat across the pitch, they will fancy their chances of extending their unbeaten record against the Atlas Lions to seven matches. They will also hope Olise avoids another caution which would rule him out of the semifinal after a booking against Paraguay.
Spain, and in particular their defence, would pose a different challenge, but one which Didier Deschamps’ men would back themselves to overcome, while a potential grudge match against Argentina or England in the final would provide the greatest stage of all for some of the greatest players of all to shine.
Don’t be surprised if the all-time World Cup scoring record is broken in the showpiece, a fitting finale to a summer for the ages.
