Argentina survived. Now the whole bracket gets a day off.

Who won yesterday's World Cup games?

The last two Round of 16 spots got settled, and neither one went quietly.

Argentina 3, Egypt 2 · Atlanta

This one needs the full replay. Egypt's Yasser Ibrahim scored in the 15th minute, Messi missed a penalty in the 21st that would have leveled it, and Mostafa “Zico” made it 2-0 for Egypt in the 67th. At that point Egypt was playing with the house's money, a penalty-shootout survivor from the Round of 32 suddenly eighty seconds from the quarterfinals. Then Argentina did what defending champions do: Cristian Romero headed one back in the 79th, Messi buried his own rebound of sorts in the 83rd to tie it, and Enzo Fernández headed the winner in second-half stoppage time. Think of it like a team blowing a two-touchdown lead with the other side's Hall of Fame quarterback still on the field: Egypt did everything right except finish the job. Argentina moves on to face Switzerland.

Switzerland 0-0 Colombia (Switzerland win 4-3 on penalties) · Vancouver

Two hours of soccer, zero goals, extra time added and still nothing. That is a defensive struggle on the level of a 9-6 football game where both punters are having career nights. Rubén Vargas buried the clinching penalty to send Switzerland through 4-3 in the shootout, and Colombia goes home again on spot kicks, the same way their 2018 World Cup ended against England. Switzerland advances to face Argentina in the quarterfinals, which means Messi's road to a second World Cup runs through the team that just won a shootout without scoring a single goal in regulation or extra time.

Why are there no World Cup games today?

Because the bracket needed a full day to reset. Forty-eight teams started this tournament and now eight remain, and FIFA built one true off day into the schedule between the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals, the soccer equivalent of the day off between a conference championship weekend and the Super Bowl. Every team left gets a full 48-plus hours of rest and travel before the next game matters. If yesterday's two knockout classics left you wanting more, good news: the quarterfinal schedule below is stacked.

What's the World Cup quarterfinal schedule?

Four games, three days, and every single one of them is a rematch or a redemption story.

• Thursday, July 9, 4 p.m. ET: France vs. Morocco at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough. Fox and Telemundo.
• Friday, July 10, 3 p.m. ET: Spain vs. Belgium at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood. Fox and Telemundo.
• Saturday, July 11, 5 p.m. ET: Norway vs. England at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens. Fox and Telemundo.
• Saturday, July 11, 9 p.m. ET: Argentina vs. Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Fox and Telemundo.

What's the must-watch quarterfinal?

France vs. Morocco, Thursday, 4 p.m. ET.This is a straight rematch of the 2022 semifinal, where France beat Morocco 2-0 on the way to the final. Morocco has spent four years building for the rematch: they knocked out co-host Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16, and their own goalkeeper Bounou eliminated the country of his birth to get there. France counters with Kýlian Mbappé, who has already tied Messi's tournament goal total this summer. Picture a conference title game rematch where the team that lost the first meeting has spent four years thinking about nothing else. That is Morocco's entire motivation, and France knows it.

The other three are just as loaded: Spain has not allowed a knockout-stage goal from open play all tournament and meets a Belgium team that just hung four goals on the co-host USA. Norway brings Erling Haaland, tied for the Golden Boot lead, into a rematch of nothing in particular but a genuine toss-up. And Argentina-Switzerland closes the round with Messi's title defense on the line against a team that just won a shootout without scoring. We'll have a full breakdown of all four bracket paths on the GameDay School YouTube channel before Thursday's kickoff.

What channel are the World Cup quarterfinals on?

All four quarterfinals air on Fox in English and Telemundo in Spanish, streaming on Fox One, the Fox Sports app, and Peacock. There are no games to watch today, July 8, but set reminders for Thursday through Saturday. See the complete How-to-Watch guide or stream every game here.

New here? Start with these

If Romero-Messi-Fernández in eleven minutes is what pulled you in, welcome, you picked a good week to start paying attention. Today's the calm before four straight days of win-or-go-home soccer. We translate every bracket, every seed, and every upset into NFL and baseball terms on the GameDay School YouTube channel. Subscribe before Thursday and the quarterfinals will make sense fast.

• Start with How the 2026 World Cup Works for groups, the bracket, and how single elimination works from here.
• Use How to Watch the 2026 World Cup for every channel and stream.
• Catch up with yesterday's recap (July 7) for the full Argentina-Egypt comeback and Ronaldo's exit the day before.

FAQ: World Cup July 8, 2026

Why is there no World Cup game today?

July 8 is the tournament's only built-in rest day between the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals, giving the eight remaining teams time to travel and recover. Games resume Thursday, July 9 with France vs. Morocco.

Did Argentina win their World Cup game?

Yes. Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 on July 7, coming back from a 2-0 deficit with second-half goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernández. Argentina advances to face Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11.

What time do the World Cup quarterfinals start?

The quarterfinals run Thursday, July 9 through Saturday, July 11. France plays Morocco first, Thursday at 4 p.m. ET, followed by Spain-Belgium Friday at 3 p.m. ET, then Norway-England and Argentina-Switzerland on Saturday at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.

What channel is France vs. Morocco on?

France vs. Morocco airs Thursday, July 9 at 4 p.m. ET on Fox and Telemundo from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, streaming on Fox One and Peacock. It is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, which France won 2-0.