The World Cup quarter-finals are now set after an enthralling round of 16 across the USA, Canada and Mexico with each of the eight nations fancying themselves to go all the way and claim the trophy
England are among the contenders for the World Cup(Image: Getty Images)
The 2026 World Cup is now down to its final eight countries, with each of them now just three wins away from glory. The round of 16 came to an end on Tuesday after a thrilling array of matches, with the quarter-final line-up now decided.
Reigning champions Argentina remain in the running, having beaten Egypt with an eye-catching comeback. They are joined by European giants Spain and France, each of which will be confident of claiming the trophy.
England of course remain in the running after their brilliant win against Mexico at the Azteca. There also remains the distinct prospect of a first-time winner this year, with Norway, Morocco, Belgium and Switzerland all having booked a spot in the quarter-finals.
1) France
Didier Deschamps’ side headed into the competition as one of the favourites and if anything, their chances have improved as the tournament has progressed. Les Bleus eased through the group stages and powered past Sweden in the last 32.
Things weren’t quite as easy in the round of 16 against Paraguay, with France needing a Kylian Mbappe penalty to get through. But they remain the best side in the competition and most people’s bet to claim the trophy.
Kylian Mbappe could fire France to their third World Cup(Image: Getty Images)
2) Spain
Spain have enjoyed a practically perfect World Cup so far – allowing for their opening game against Cape Verde. They have won their last four games in a row and are yet to concede a goal during the World Cup.
Like France, they were made to work for their round of 16 victory against Portugal, with Mikel Merino striking late against their Iberian rivals. They’ve simply got quality all over the pitch and it would not be a surprise to see them in the final.
3) England
The Three Lions have either been sensational or sub-par so far at the World Cup so it is really difficult to place Thomas Tuchel’s men. When it comes to their latest outing against Mexico though, it would be hard to suggest that they’re not bonafide contenders.
England took the initiative in the first half and then defended resolutely to secure what was one of their most memorable results. They will certainly be aiming to use that experience to get even deeper into the competition.
England have reached the quarter-finals in Thomas Tuchel’s first tournament(Image: Getty Images)
4) Argentina
The reigning world champions avoided an almighty scare on Tuesday after slipping 2-0 behind to Egypt but three late goals kept their hopes of claiming a second consecutive World Cup alive.
Lionel Scaloni’s men have looked somewhat vulnerable in the knockout rounds, having only just managed to squeeze past Cape Verde ahead of beating Egypt. But they’ve got the all-time World Cup top goalscorer Lionel Messi and with him in the side, anything is possible.
5) Norway
On the topic of inspirational forwards, Norway certainly have one of their own. Erling Haaland has surpassed even his own expectations at the World Cup.
The Manchester City striker already has seven goals at the tournament – two of which helped to see off five-time winners Brazil in the round of 32. Apart from him, Norway have plenty of quality that they will be aiming to harness against England.
Erling Haaland has been a star for Norway at the World Cup(Image: Getty Images)
6) Morocco
After reaching the semi-finals in 2022, the African side have enjoyed another very productive run in the USA. Mohamed Ouahbi has taken the reins since then and has ensured Morocco have remained a very effective outfit under his stewardship.
They dominated co-hosts Canada in the previous round and have also earned positive results against the Netherlands and Brazil so anyone thinking that they will be pushovers are gravely mistaken. They should probably be higher up this list, too, but with France to come in the quarter-finals, their World Cup could actually end quite soon.
7) Belgium
Rudi Garcia’s Belgium are yet to really convince as of yet. They won just one group game, while they needed extra time to get past Senegal in the round of 32.
But the Red Devils appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. Belgium eased past co-hosts USA in the round of 16 with an emphatic 4-1 victory and will be hopeful of continuing that momentum against Spain.
But given their aging squad and the fact that they are coming up against the reigning European champions, it is very tricky to put them any higher.
Belgium thumped the USA 4-1 on their way to the quarter finals(Image: Getty Images)
8) Switzerland
Switzerland actually performed very well across the group stage and secured a confident win against Algeria in the round of 32. But it’s hard to see them going much further than the quarter finals.
They only just about managed to squeeze past Colombia on penalties and have been rewarded with a showdown with Argentina. Do they look like World Cup winners? Not really. It’s going to take a miracle, hence why they’re at the bottom of this list.
