When this World Cup finally took a day off on Wednesday, it had been 27 days since the tournament began.
That was just one day fewer than it took to contest the entire 2022 edition in Qatar, and four days fewer than the 2018 one that was the last men’s World Cup played in June and July. (The Qatar edition was moved to November and December to get out of the Middle East’s summer heat.)
So if you feel like it’s been a lot, you aren’t alone. Between the controversies that engulfed the U.S. team’s exit and the mania of so many other dramatic games, a day to rest and recharge wasn’t the worst thing.
Now, the quarterfinals are here, and all four games have major star power. The first one might be the best of them: France vs. Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi will face many current and former teammates at his French club, Paris Saint-Germain, while trying to lead the Atlas Lions to their second straight semifinal four years after they became the first African team to make it that far.
Philadelphia needs no introduction to France’s galaxy of talent at this point, having seen Les Bleus win both games they played in town. Now here they go again: Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and, above all, Kylian Mbappé. They’ve been unstoppable so far, bringing not just their quality but a real motivation to carry Les Bleus to a historic third straight final.
The France-Morocco winner will play the winner of Friday’s Spain-Belgium matchup in Inglewood, Calif. Spain’s Lamine Yamal keeps earning headlines as the game’s top young phenom, and if France and La Roja advance, that semifinal would be a box office smash.
As for Belgium, speaking of motivation, let’s see how this game goes for them. The Red Devils had all that any team could need against the U.S., but will they be as fired up this time?
The other quarterfinals will be played Saturday. First, England faces Norway in Miami Gardens, Fla., a matchup of a lot of players who know each other. Nine of Norway’s players play in the English Premier League, including superstar striker Erling Haaland at Manchester City and playmaker Martin Ødegaard at Arsenal.
Those two clubs, in turn, have nine combined players on the Three Lions’ squad. City has newly signed $155 million midfielder Elliot Anderson, starting defenders Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly, backup defender John Stones, and backup goalkeeper James Trafford. Arsenal has wingers Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka, and central midfielder Declan Rice.
Crystal Palace also has a player on each side, Norway forward Jørgen Strand Larsen and England backup goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
We’ll see how all that familiarity plays out on the field. We’ll also see what impact the weather has on the 4 p.m. kickoff, a forecast high of 90 degrees, South Florida’s humidity, and the perennial threat of thunderstorms.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina return to Kansas City, Mo., where the reigning World Cup champions played their tournament opener, for the last quarterfinal. They came awfully close to not making it back, needing a stunning late comeback from a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt, 3-2, in the round of 16.
Can Switzerland do what Egypt and Cape Verde couldn’t: finish the job and knock Messi out of his last World Cup? The task will be especially tough if standout playmaker Johan Manzambi can’t recover from the injury that caused him to miss the round of 16 win over Colombia.
If England and Argentina advance, they’ll renew one of soccer’s most famous rivalries for the first time at a men’s World Cup since 2022. That would be quite a scene, especially under the roof in Atlanta.
World Cup quarterfinals schedule
All games are televised on Fox29 in English and Telemundo 62 in Spanish. All times listed are local to Philadelphia.
Thursday
4 p.m.: France vs. Morocco in Foxborough, Mass.
Friday
3 p.m.: Spain vs. Belgium in Inglewood, Calif.
Saturday
5 p.m.: Norway vs. England in Miami Gardens, Fla.
9 p.m.: Argentina vs. Switzerland in Kansas City, Mo.
Semifinals and beyond
July 14
3 p.m.: France or Morocco vs. Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas
July 15
3 p.m.: Norway or England vs. Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta
July 18
5 p.m.: Third-place game in Miami Gardens, Fla.
July 19
3 p.m.: Final in East Rutherford, N.J.
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