As the greatest sporting event reaches its business end, eight teams proceed to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup and will be in a fierce battle to eventually feature in the top four. Four teams will remain standing after what promises to be high-octane battles between the eight giants in the World Cup. The quarter-finals promise blockbuster encounters featuring some of the world’s biggest stars, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappรฉ, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal.ย
What is the schedule of the quarter-finals?
Fans can watch the matches live on Unite8 Sports channels on television. For live streaming, the entire tournament is available on ZEE5.
What are the matches?
| France vs.ย Morocco | Friday, July 10 | 1:30 AM | Boston Stadium, MA |
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Spain vs Belgium |
Saturday, July 11 | 12:30 AM | Los Angeles Stadium, CA |
| Norway vs. England | ย Sunday, July 12 | 2:30 AM | Miami Stadium, FL |
| Argentina vs. Switzerland | Sunday, July 12 | 6:30 AM | Kansas City Stadium, MO |
France vs Morocco
In one of the round’s most compelling narratives, France meet Morocco in a highly anticipated rematch of their memorable Qatar 2022 encounter.ย Les Bleus dominated their group stage, remaining unbeaten in their three outings and putting up some jaw-dropping performances. They opened their campaign with a 3-1 drubbing of Senegal before beating an Erling Haaland-less Norway. France then comfortably dispatched Sweden 3-0 to open the knockout phase, before overcoming Paraguay in the round of 16. They would look to continue the same form in the quarter-finals.
Morocco remain one of the tournament’s toughest teams, combining defensive solidity with dangerous counter-attacks. After drawing with Brazil in their opener, they won both of their remaining group matches and knocked out the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32. The African giants rallied past co-hosts Canada to secure their quarter-final berth. Despite strong performances, France hold the edge over The Atlas Lions.
Spain vs Belgium
An unexpected early draw against Cape Verde served as a perfect warm-up for Spain in navigating tightly contested fixtures. They edged out Uruguay 1-0, dismantled Austria 3-0 in the round of 32, and advanced past Portugal, led by Ronaldo, in the round of 16.
Belgium kicked off their World Cup campaign with two draws in their group stage but topped the group due to their better goal difference than the second-placed Egypt. The Red Devils were under the pump in the round of 32 against Senegal but produced a sensational comeback, scoring twice in the final five minutes of regulation time to advance to the pre-quarters. They then handed the United States a sound beating in Seattle with a 4-1 win and would have to put their A game against La Roja, who look slight favourites on paper.
Norway vs England
Perhaps the most surprising team this tournament has been Norway, who along with marquee forward Erling Haaland, inspired fans worldwide. The “Viking Row”, which is Norwayโs chant in the world cup, swept across American stadiums as the Landslaget continued to put up stellar performances.
Haaland has been at the centre of the success, and he led Norway to upset Brazil with a brace in a 2-1 win, guiding his country to its first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance. The Manchester City striker has seven goals in this competition and is in contention for the Golden Boot.ย
England have been unbeaten in the tournament too, having topped Group L and survived scares against DR Congo and Mexico in the knockouts. The Three Lions were in choppy waters in the round of 32 clash against DR Congo, trailing 0-1 till the 75th minute before Harry Kaneโs brace bailed them out. They put up a defence masterclass against Mexico in the later stages of the second half to win the round of 16 clash and now meet The Vikings next, possibly being the slight favourites.
Argentina vs Switzerland
The defending champions, Argentina, are set to face off against Switzerland in the quarter-finals, as Lionel Messi continues to command the spotlight. He leads the tournament charts with eight goals this year and has extended his historic all-time World Cup record to 21 goals.
His latest masterclass inspired a phenomenal comeback from a 2-0 deficit against Egypt, culminating in a thrilling 3-2 victory. They face a highly disciplined Switzerland team that relies on a rigid defensive setup, having scored just nine goals over five matches. The Swiss advanced by defeating Colombia on penalty kicks after a goalless draw through extra time, marking their first appearance in the quarter-finals since 1954. Argentina is favoured to win.
(This article is written by Bhavye Dhalla. He is an intern with India TV)