Empty tournament schedule : World Cup 2026 is reaching its climax.
But fans will be disappointed after the round of 16 concludes that there are no games on Wednesday.
Break day : This mid-week blank day on July 8 provides a brief pause in the tournament before the next stage begins.
The designated rest day gives the surviving squads essential time to recover from intense knockout matches ahead of the upcoming quarter-final ties.
Quarter-final resumption : Competitive matches will return on Thursday, July 9, to start the quarter-final round.