Norway faced England in Miami Gardens and Argentina met Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday, July 11, in the final two quarterfinals, which determined the last semifinal places at the 2026 World Cup. England advanced with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, while Argentina also progressed, setting up a semifinal against England in Atlanta on July 15. The matches were scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern Time in Miami Gardens and 9 p.m. in Kansas City.
England entered the quarterfinal after a 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico and a three-match winning streak, scoring at least twice in each game. Norway had reached the last eight for the first time in its World Cup history, beating five-time champion Brazil 2-1 in the previous round, with Erling Haaland scoring both goals. Before the match, England manager Thomas Tuchel said, “It gets harder and harder because competition gets better and better.” He said all players were available apart from suspended defender Jarell Quansah.
Norway’s projected lineup under coach Ståle Solbakken featured Ørjan Nyland; Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjørn Heggem and David Moller Wolfe; Patrick Berg, Sander Berge and Martin Ødegaard; and Alexander Sørloth, Erling Haaland and Antonio Nusa. England’s likely XI, with Tuchel in charge, included Jordan Pickford; Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly; Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon; and Harry Kane. Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup scored first, before Jude Bellingham struck twice to send England through after extra time.
Argentina’s quarterfinal against Switzerland was scheduled for 9 p.m. local time in Kansas City. Argentina’s probable starting eleven, with Lionel Scaloni as head coach, featured Emiliano Martínez; Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez and Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Leandro Paredes and Alexis Mac Allister; and Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martínez. Switzerland was expected to line up under Murat Yakin with Gregor Kobel; Deni Zakaria, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi and Ricardo Rodríguez; Remo Freuler and Granit Xhaka; Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Rubén Vargas; and Breel Embolo. Argentina’s progress put it on course to meet England in the Atlanta semifinal as it pursued consecutive World Cup titles, a feat last achieved by Brazil in 1962.
The quarterfinals completed the semifinal lineup: Spain and France were set to meet in Arlington, Texas, while England and Argentina were scheduled to play in Atlanta. Spain advanced after a dramatic victory over Belgium and was preparing for its high-profile clash with France, as detailed in a recent report on Spain's semifinal qualification. All four semifinalists, Spain, France, England and Argentina, were former world champions.
Miami Gardens and Kansas City hosted the final quarterfinal doubleheader, with the results setting the route to the semifinals. Star players including Haaland, Harry Kane, Messi and Granit Xhaka added to the occasion, while England’s extra-time win and Argentina’s advancement filled the remaining places in the last four.
