World Cup 2026 quarterfinals preview: The key story for each team

Erling Haaland. Harry Kane. Kylian Mbappé. Lionel Messi. Lamina Yamal. The sheer number of stars among the eight teams competing in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is difficult to comprehend, but easy to watch and enjoy.

However, these teams are not here to have fun. The teams left standing (Argentina, Belgium, England, France, Morocco, Norway, Spain and Switzerland) have convinced themselves that they have a chance of lifting the World Cup trophy, some for the first time in their country’s history. From here on out, it’s all business.

Here are the key stories from each team heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals:

France against Morocco

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

At 27 years old, Mbappé has already played 103 games for France and scored 63 goals. He is the country’s all-time leading scorer.

This is his third World Cup. The first two ended up winning the tournament and coming in second place. Another run to the final would put him among the best in history and would probably also keep him close to Messi in the race to be the top scorer in the tournament’s history.

If France wins the World Cup this year, Mbappé will be the one to lift the trophy. It would be a streak of three tournaments that very few players in history can match.

(Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Morocco made history in 2022 when it became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. Next up for the Atlas Lions would be reaching the final match.

Morocco is qualified for the quarterfinals after beating the Netherlands in the round of 32 and then Canada in the round of 16. In both matchups, they have clearly been the superior team.

Next up for Morocco is the rematch of that semifinal against France. Forward Ismael Saibari was injured in the win over Canada, but the team is hopeful he will be available to face France.

Morocco will be the underdog against Les Bleus, but they have as much chance as any other team in the tournament to pull off an upset. Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi scored twice against Canada, while playmaker Brahim Diaz and right back Achraf Hakimi combined for three assists. Morocco has the quality to win.

Spain vs Belgium

(Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Spain is known for its impressive possession game, with one of the best midfielders in the world. So far, however, it is the defense that has been the star of the tournament.

La Roja has played five games in this World Cup and has not yet conceded a goal. The defense formed by left back Marc Cucurella, center backs Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí, right back Pedro Porro and goalkeeper Unai Simón have played together for 180 minutes of the knockout phase, and the unity could be impenetrable.

Simon has gone 609 minutes without conceding a goal in the World Cup, the longest streak in the history of a goalkeeper.

The next opponent is Belgium, who have scored nine goals in their last two games against New Zealand and the United States.

(Photo by Jan De Meuleneir / Photo News via Getty Images)

Thibaut Courtois remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world at 34 years old; Romelu Lukaku is showing that he can still score goals at 33 years old; Kevin De Bruyne can still pick a pass in the 35th; While even winger Leandro Trossard remains one of the best playmakers in the tournament at 31 years old.

Lukaku comes off the bench and continues to make an impact, while De Bruyne did not play against the United States. This is a renewed Belgian team, but it is still synonymous with veteran stars.

Facing Spain will be Belgium’s toughest test yet. After an impressive comeback against Senegal and a dominant performance against the United States, the Red Devils will be confident. However, to win they will need their veterans to lead the way, with Lukaku possibly having to make a key contribution from the bench.

Norway vs England

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Man, Viking, monster: call him what you want, as long as you call him the most dominant striker on this planet, and possibly others. The only player who comes close to him? The player who will start against him in the quarterfinals, Harry Kane.

But Kane can’t stop Haaland; he can only hope to override their goals with his own. So who can? Marc Guéhi, your teammate at Manchester City? Ezri Konsa, who kept Haaland scoreless in their only Premier League game last season? Or will it be Jordan Pickford, against whom Haaland scored three goals last season?

The answer will be some combination of the three, because although many have tried, there is not a single person who can stop Haaland.

(Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP via Getty Images)

England have been here before: a talented and strong team heading into a quarter-final match they should win. And yet, the last time he reached the final was in 1996, the only time he won the tournament and the last time he won a title in any major tournament. Will this year be different?

Thomas Tuchel certainly hopes so. The England manager made some controversial decisions with his squad selection and, so far, it hasn’t come back to haunt him. But a loss to Norway (a team 14 places lower in the FIFA rankings) would change all that.

Tuchel Eliminatory Tournament: the word is yours.

Argentina vs Switzerland

(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Socrates/Getty Images)

If the FIFA World Cup were a video game, Lionel Messi would have won it and platinumed it. He is the tournament’s all-time leader in goals and assists, twice won the Ballon d’Or as the tournament’s best player and, in 2022, finally lifted the trophy after beating Kylian Mbappé and France in arguably the greatest final of all time.

Now? Messi is seeking his second (and probably last) World Cup title. If he succeeds, Messi will become the first player in World Cup history to win two World Cups with the captain’s armband, and Argentina will become the first consecutive men’s world champion since Brazil 64 years ago.

There’s more than just bragging rights at stake; It is immortality in the World Cup.

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Despite not being a world football power in the modern era, Switzerland has reached the quarter-finals on three occasions: 1934, 1938 and 1954. However, they never got over the hump and failed to advance in all three of their appearances. Yes, you can argue that Switzerland’s advance to the quarter-finals on a World Cup dark horse in Colombia is an achievement in itself, but Switzerland won’t think that way; certainly not after Argentina were nearly shocked in the round of 16.

Dismiss Switzerland at your own risk.