2026 World Cup quarterfinal predictions: More upsets incoming?

By Deniss Novickis | Published: July 8, 2026, 09:30

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is all the way through to the quarter-finals, as now we’ll have one game per day only. All three hosts are out, and the remaining games of the tournament will take place in the United States. France are still the favourites to win the World Cup, at 2.75, while Spain are next at 4.50, and these teams will likely meet in the semi-finals. Explore MightyTips' Round of 8 predictions, featuring in-depth quarter-final previews, betting analysis, and the best value bets for all four games.

Match 97: France - Morocco, July 9, 22:00 CEST, Foxborough

Match 98: Spain - Belgium, July 10, 21:00 CEST, Inglewood

Match 99: Norway - England, July 11, 23:00 CEST, Miami

Match 100: Argentina - Switzerland, July 12, 03:00 CEST, Kansas City 

Paraguay showed the world how you can stop France. Well, almost. Thank god, they are gone, just like that blind referee from Uzbekistan. Talking seriously, France passed a very hard exam in the Round of 16, and you always need to have such a match on the way to the successful final. Aurélien Tchouaméni is struggling with a thigh problem, but other than that, France have everyone ready to battle for the semi-final spot. They have the best offence of the tournament, with 14 goals, and there’s a feeling that no one will be able to knock them out.

Morocco, now seventh in the FIFA rankings, had a great tournament as well. They are a well-organised team with a solid defence, conceding just four goals so far. However, it looks like their campaign will end on Thursday. Their best striker, Ismael Saibari, is questionable with a muscle injury. Without him, the African side will have its hands full. They lost 2-0 to France in the semis four years ago, and history should repeat itself. While there’s no value in betting the French to win at 1.55, Kylian Mbappé to score anytime at 1.90 is well worth bearing in mind.

Match prediction: 2-0 to France.

Spain are the only team yet to concede a goal, and the European champions looked very impressive right after the poor performance in the first game against Cape Verde. Lamine Yamal didn’t show his best so far, but Spain are doing their job well without him. You’d expect them to have much of the ball in any game, but now they are not just passing it, but trying to play direct football. Mikel Oyarzabal, on four goals, looks great as the sole striker, and we can already start relishing the battle between France and Spain in the semi-finals.

Belgium are, arguably, the biggest surprise among the quarter-finalists. While they did impress by defeating the United States 4-1 in the Round of 16, Rudi Garcia’s side had a very poor tournament before that. We believe that the Folarin Balogun suspension saga has cost the USA dearly, taking the wind out of their sails. Still, Belgium are very slow, and that will be the decisive factor at the SoFi Stadium. While the odds of 1.60 on Spain winning are not ideal, we simply can’t see any other result in California.

Match prediction: Spain celebrate a 2-0 victory.

After qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, Norway just refuse to slow down in North America. Obviously, much of their success comes from Erling Haaland, who somehow scored seven goals in his first four World Cup matches. The Scandinavians have completely outplayed Brazil in the previous round, and now they are targeting another famous scalp. However, at this point, you just have to ask yourself - will the brilliance of one man be enough against a side full of stars of the highest calibre?

England survived in Mexico City with everything against them, and that victory should raise the confidence of the team. Thomas Tuchel is still searching for his best starting XI, yet England are earning results, and in the end it’s the only thing that matters. Jarell Quansah is suspended (unless someone calls Mr Infantino), but other than that, Tuchel can rely on every other player. We suggest avoiding betting on the outcome of this game and opting for the goals instead. Over 2,5 goals at 1.72 looks promising, but at this point we just can’t overlook Haaland to score anytime at 2.20.

Match prediction: Let’s say it’s England winning in extra time, 3-2.

Almost invincible at the group stage with just one goal conceded, Argentina lost all its aura in the play-offs. A very loose match against Cape Verde went to extra time in the Round of 32, while in the next match, they were trailing Egypt by two goals with only 12 minutes left. It took another amazing performance by Leo Messi and some questionable decisions by the ref for Argentina to go through, but they aren't trustworthy anymore.

Meanwhile, Switzerland keep doing their job without any fireworks. In the play-offs, they have defeated Algeria and Colombia with two clean sheets. The Swiss' biggest problem is the likely absence of their key player, Johan Manzambi. The attacking midfielder, who scored three goals and made two assists, is struggling with a knee issue. This will surely be a low-scoring game. Argentina should somehow go through, but we would never bet their win at 1.70, opting for Messi to score anytime at 1.90 instead.

Match prediction: Argentina qualify for the semis, somehow.