{"id":101654,"date":"2026-07-11T11:58:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T11:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/101654\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T11:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T11:58:18","slug":"world-cup-quarterfinals-today-schedule-predictions-haalands-viral-rise-world-cup-2026-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/101654\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup quarterfinals today: Schedule, predictions, Haaland\u2019s viral rise | World Cup 2026 News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The final two places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> semifinals are up for grabs on Saturday as England face Norway before defending champions Argentina take on Switzerland.<\/p>\n

France and Spain have already booked their places in the last four, leaving four teams battling to complete the semifinal lineup. England and Argentina head into their quarterfinals as favourites according to the Opta supercomputer, but both Norway and Switzerland will look to pull off another upset.<\/p>\n

Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

What is the schedule?
\nNorway vs England\u00a0on Saturday, July 11, at 5pm (21:00 GMT) \u2013 Miami Stadium, US
\nArgentina vs Switzerland\u00a0on Saturday, July 11, at 8pm (01:00 GMT on Sunday) \u2013 Kansas City Stadium, US
\nWho has made it to the semifinals?
\nFrance vs Spain, on Tuesday, July 14 (19:00GMT) \u2013 Dallas Stadium
\nNorway\/England vs Argentina\/Switzerland, July 15 (19:00GMT) \u2013 Atlanta Stadium
\nWhat are the predictions for Norway vs England?<\/p>\n

England and Norway meet in the World Cup for the first time, although they have faced each other 12 times overall. England hold the upper hand with eight wins to Norway\u2019s two, and the Scandinavians have failed to score in any of the last four meetings. Their most recent encounter ended in a 1-0 friendly victory for England in September 2014.<\/p>\n

The Opta supercomputer makes England the favourites to reach the semifinals, giving the Three Lions a 50.4 percent chance of winning the match inside 90 minutes based on 25,000 pre-match simulations. England\u2019s overall probability of progressing, including extra time and penalties, rises to 62.3 percent.<\/p>\n

Norway are given a 25.1 percent chance of winning in normal time, while a draw after 90 minutes occurred in 24.6 percent of the simulations.<\/p>\n

\"England<\/p>\n

What are the predictions for Argentina vs Switzerland?<\/p>\n

History strongly favours Argentina heading into this quarterfinal. The defending champions are unbeaten in seven previous meetings with Switzerland, winning five and drawing two.<\/p>\n

Opta makes Argentina favourites to book a place in the semifinals. Based on 25,000 pre-match simulations, the supercomputer gives Lionel Messi\u2019s side a 57.1 percent chance of winning inside 90 minutes.<\/p>\n

Switzerland are assigned an 18.7 percent probability of winning in normal time, while 24.2 percent of simulations end in a draw after 90 minutes. Overall, Argentina progress to the semifinals in 69.4 percent of simulations, leaving Switzerland with a 30.6 percent chance of advancing to face either England or Norway.<\/p>\n

\"Argentinva<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What other things are happening?England vs Norway: Vikings battle<\/p>\n

Fans are embracing the historical \u201cVikings battle\u201d narrative for the England vs Norway match.<\/p>\n

Portugal hires Jorge Jesus as its new coach after disappointing World Cup<\/p>\n

Portugal have turned to veteran coach Jorge Jesus in a bid to revive the national team after its disappointing World Cup campaign.<\/p>\n

The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed on Friday that the 71-year-old will succeed Roberto Martinez, whose departure was announced earlier this week following Portugal\u2019s 1-0 round-of-16 defeat to Spain.<\/p>\n

Jesus returns to international football after a long club career that included spells with Benfica, Sporting CP and, most recently, Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, where he worked with Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n

His appointment comes amid growing scrutiny over Portugal\u2019s World Cup performances and Martinez\u2019s continued reliance on the 41-year-old Ronaldo, whose role as the focal point of the attack drew criticism from fans and pundits.<\/p>\n

Although Ronaldo said the 2026 World Cup would be his last, he has not announced whether he intends to continue playing for Portugal. Jesus, who described the five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner as \u201ca symbol\u201d of Portuguese sport, said he plans to speak with Ronaldo<\/a> before any decisions are made about his international future.<\/p>\n

Why Erling Haaland became Mexico\u2019s unlikely hero<\/p>\n

Haaland has unexpectedly become an honorary Mexican on social media after embracing fans still reeling from Mexico\u2019s World Cup exit at the hands of England.<\/p>\n

The Norway striker has leaned into the jokes, responding to posts from Mexican supporters who have adopted Norway as their team for the quarterfinal. After one viral video paired footage of Haaland performing the traditional Viking clap with banda music, he replied from his official account: \u201cI hear you \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd\ud83c\udf2e.\u201d<\/p>\n

The online love affair grew even stronger when another fan urged him to eliminate England on Mexico\u2019s behalf. Haaland responded with a phrase that has become a rallying cry among Mexican supporters during this World Cup: \u201cY si si? \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd\ud83d\ude09\u201d (\u201cWhat if I do?\u201d).<\/p>\n

Eliminated Morocco turn attention to cohosting 2030 World Cup<\/p>\n

Morocco\u2019s World Cup journey<\/a> ended in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 defeat to France, falling short of repeating the historic semifinal run that captured global attention four years ago.<\/p>\n

The Atlas Lions were once again stopped by Les Bleus, but their campaign still marked another milestone. Morocco became the first African nation to reach consecutive World Cup quarterfinals, having knocked out the Netherlands before eventually bowing out in Boston.<\/p>\n

Attention now turns to 2030, when Morocco will cohost the World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain and will qualify automatically as hosts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a young team that wants to improve and will continue to do so,\u201d Ouahbi said after the defeat. \u201cWe have talented players who will help us keep growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

England\u2019s Kane dodges Haaland comparisons<\/p>\n

Harry Kane played down comparisons with Haaland on the eve of England\u2019s World Cup quarterfinal against Norway, insisting the two strikers are too different to judge against one another.<\/p>\n

The meeting also carries extra significance in the race for the Golden Boot. Haaland has scored seven goals at the tournament, one more than Kane, with both chasing leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who have eight each.<\/p>\n

Asked who was the better striker, Kane declined to give a direct answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re completely different players,\u201d the England captain said. \u201cWe\u2019re both number nines, but we play in different ways. I like to get on the ball more, while still being able to play as an out-and-out striker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Kane praised Haaland\u2019s remarkable goalscoring ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, he\u2019s a machine, a beast. His finishing is at the highest level and his goalscoring record speaks for itself,\u201d Kane said. \u201cI have a lot of respect for him, although hopefully he has a quiet day tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mbappe keeps France\u2019s greats comparison on ice as semifinal beckons<\/p>\n

France may be just two matches away from another World Cup title, but captain Kylian Mbappe believes comparisons with the country\u2019s greatest teams are premature.<\/p>\n

Les Bleus booked their place in the semifinals with a composed 2-0 victory over Morocco, continuing an impressive tournament in which Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele have combined for 13 goals. Yet the France captain insisted this generation still has to earn its place in history.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won the World Cup in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2022, but this team hasn\u2019t achieved anything yet,\u201d Mbappe said. \u201cIt probably has the greatest potential because there is so much quality in the squad, but potential alone doesn\u2019t make you the strongest team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jude Bellingham and Haaland: Friends become World Cup rivals<\/p>\n

One of the World Cup\u2019s most unexpected storylines has little to do with tactics or trophies.<\/p>\n

When England\u2019s Jude Bellingham and Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland meet in Saturday\u2019s quarterfinal, fans will be watching more than just two of football\u2019s brightest stars. Their friendship, forged during their time together at Borussia Dortmund, has become one of the tournament\u2019s most talked-about off-field narratives.<\/p>\n

Old videos of the pair joking, hugging and celebrating together have resurfaced across social media, delighting fans and offering a rare glimpse of genuine friendship between two players now preparing to stand on opposite sides of one of the World Cup\u2019s biggest matches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The final two places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals are up for grabs on Saturday as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101655,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[1680,197,81,193,1202,3798,82,17,1106,13703,20910],"class_list":["post-101654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-argentina","tag-europe","tag-football","tag-latin-america","tag-news","tag-norway","tag-sport","tag-switzerland","tag-united-kingdom","tag-world-cup","tag-world-cup-2026"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116901229603342653","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}