The 2026 World Cup has been an absolute banger, and things get all the more interesting as we level up to the quarterfinal stage. Four colossal, vastly different matchups are uncorking across Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There’s something for just about everyone here.Revenge and redemption are for the taking in the opener between France and Morocco. Spain’s controlled mastery collides with Belgium’s feverish attack on Friday. Then Erling Haaland duels Harry Kane in Norway versus England, and Lionel Messi captains the reigning champion Argentina against a resilient Switzerland.American newcomers and die-hards can both prepare accordingly with our latest watch guide. Believe this, indeed.World Cup quarterfinals watch guide for U.S. audienceMatchTime (ET)TVStreamFrance vs. Morocco4 p.m., ThursdayFox,TelemundoFubo (Watch Now)Spain vs. Belgium3 p.m., FridayFox,TelemundoFubo (Watch Now)Norway vs. England5 p.m., SaturdayFox,TelemundoFubo (Watch Now)Argentina vs. Switzerland9 p.m., SaturdayFox,TelemundoFubo (Watch Now)Fox and Telemundo are free over the air. Fox also streams with a Fox One subscription, while Spanish-language coverage is also available on Peacock.Thursday, July 9France vs. MoroccoBoston StadiumThe pitch: A grudge match with deep, historic connections.In 2022, Morocco broke through as the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal. Come Thursday, the Atlas Lions can book a second straight final four trip — if they can beat the team that ended their last run.Much easier said than done, of course. France landed a 2-0 knockout on Morocco in the 2022 semis. It arrives to this rematch with a perfect five wins through five tournament matches. Kylian Mbappé has been a supernova, and Didier Deschamps’ French are favored to win it all.Is this the best France team ever?Tom WilliamsThis matchup brims with tensions and overlaps. France colonized Morocco from 1912-56. Six members of the current Moroccan squad were born in France. Fandoms are marked by dual nationalities. The clash should be visceral and spirited.On the pitch, France is paced by Mbappé, who has seven goals in his five outings and is chasing Messi’s newly minted World Cup scoring record. Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, has four of his own. The creative Michael Olise leads Les Bleus with five assists. And goalkeeper Mike Maignan boasts three clean sheets in his last four starts.Mohamed Ouahbi has Morocco on yet another extended World Cup march, after taking over for former manager Walid Regragui earlier this year. The Moroccans opened their knockout play with an unreal penalty shootout triumph against the Netherlands, then defeated Canada in a 3-0 statement.Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in the latter. His evolution from 2022 up-and-comer to 2026 resurgence has been rewarding to watch. Coveted striker Ismael Saibari has a team-best three goals, but he subbed off with a hamstring injury during the last win and is unavailable against France.There’s a roaming spotlight on Ayyoub Bouaddi, who switched allegiances from France to Morocco in May. The 18-year-old helps author the latest chapter of an intricate intercontinental rivalry.Friday, July 10Spain vs. BelgiumLos Angeles StadiumThe pitch: A European style clash.Luis de la Fuente’s Spain hasn’t conceded a single goal through five World Cup matches. Unai Simón has been the starting keeper for all five. The defense in front of him looks tremendous, leading the field in turnovers forced thus far. This is Spain’s first quarterfinal appearance since its 2010 championship run. That immortalized group was also built behind a red brick wall — it won the last four stages of that tournament by 1-0 finishes.Suitably, Spain advanced with a 1-0 victory over Iberian rival Portugal on Monday. Mikel Merino came up clutch in stoppage time, put in position by substitute Ferran Torres.La Roja is as starry as it is stout. Lamine Yamal commands attention on the wing, while Pedri and Rodri mold possessions from the midfield. Mikel Oyarzabal has two braces on a team-high 19 shots.Belgium counters with the third-most goals in this tournament, one behind Argentina and France. It put up a convincing four goals Monday night to eliminate the U.S. on its own turf. Charles De Ketelaere had two of those to thin the air before halftime.Rudi Garcia’s Red Devils lead all remaining teams in average speed and sprints. Scorers abound between De Ketelaere, Leandro Trossard, Romelu Lukaku, Jérémy Doku and captain Youri Tielemans. The Belgians were able to beat the USMNT only because of their furious rally versus Senegal in the prior round.They’re no slouches on the other end, either. Thibaut Courtois is still a steely presence in the net. He claimed the Golden Glove in 2018, when third-place Belgium had its strongest World Cup showing to date.Saturday, July 11Norway vs. EnglandMiami StadiumThe pitch: A traditional power meets a first-time breakthrough.The Norwegians have never been this far. They’ve also never had a player like Haaland before.Haaland approached his World Cup debut with considerable hype, as he set the Premier League’s single-season scoring mark in 2022-23. He has unequivocally delivered for Norway — in the last round, his two strikes in the final 11 minutes of regulation brought down mighty Brazil. Haaland’s seven goals on 11 on-target attempts also have him right in the mix for the Golden Boot.He’s become something of a sensation, but Haaland does not carry his country alone. Ståle Solbakken’s side has benefited from the steady presence of Martin Ødegaard and Andreas Schjelderup. And 35-year-old Ørjan Nyland takes his post off of consecutive four-save efforts.If these Vikings are to row into an unprecedented spot, they must get past talented and tested England. The Three Lions’ most recent semifinal appearance came two tourneys ago in 2018.Both England knockout wins spiked heart rates. Kane rescued his teammates from a late 1-0 hole against DR Congo, and his decisive second goal was pure magic. Jude Bellingham was the redeemer in the subsequent match with Mexico, which the English were able to take despite being reduced to 10 men and facing fierce Azteca antagonism. Jordan Pickford met the moment on Sunday night with two sprawling, heroic saves.Thomas Tuchel has tapped Declan Rice to cover a lot of ground. The do-it-all midfielder filled in at right back during the Congo comeback, and he leads the team in crosses and corners. Rice’s defense might be needed again on Saturday, should the red-card ban on Jarell Quansah hold up.Argentina vs. SwitzerlandKansas City StadiumThe pitch: It’s Messi — don’t overthink it.What on earth is happening with this Argentine team?! Its knockout matches have been thoroughly disorienting.Argentina was, of course, a towering favorite in its meeting with Cape Verde in the round of 32. Yet the underdog stunned La Albiceleste with two second-half equalizers. The incumbent champ ultimately got right with its own shocker in the 111th minute, from the head of Cristian Romero and the deflection off defender Diney Borges. What could’ve been the greatest World Cup upset ever became just another feather on Messi‘s outstretched wings.Not to be outdone, Argentina’s following match against Egypt was an immediate all-timer. Down 2-0 in the 78th minute, Messi fed Romero to finally get on the board … and then scored the second goal himself a mere four minutes later. Enzo Fernández clinched it in stoppage time to seal the unimaginable turnaround.Already the World Cup’s career leader in goals, Messi also broke the assists record amid Tuesday’s exclamation point. He’s somehow atop the Golden Boot race at the age of 39. Manager Lionel Scaloni couldn’t help but shed a few tears.Is a third straight jaw-dropper in line? Up next is Murat Yakin’s Switzerland, which hung tough in a 0-0 penalty shootout victory atop Colombia. Gregor Kobel was an elastic forcefield down the stretch.The Swiss are unbeaten at 4-0-1 and have conceded three total goals. Leading scorer Johan Manzambi is one of this World Cup’s rising stars, but he was held out of Tuesday’s win after an undisclosed injury suffered in training. Breel Embolo, Rubén Vargas and captain Granit Xhaka need to lift the Nati attack if Manzambi is still on ice.Once again, Argentina is a considerable favorite for Saturday night. Go ahead and throw all of that out the window upon first whistle.Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.