France face Morocco after a quarterfinal field trimmed to eight
France and Morocco are set to open the World Cup quarterfinals after the Round of 16 finished with another wave of elimination and just eight teams left in contention. The knockout bracket now also includes Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland, according to match-round roundups published after the latest results.
The freshest development from the past 48 hours is the completion of the Round of 16 and the confirmation of the quarterfinal slate. France advanced after a 1-0 win over Paraguay, while Morocco booked its place by beating Canada 3-0. Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland also moved through, leaving Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, the United States, Egypt, Canada, Paraguay and Colombia out of the tournament.
Argentina’s path was among the most dramatic. Multiple reports said the defending champions beat Egypt 3-2 after a late comeback, with one live blog describing it as a stoppage-time winner to complete the rally. Switzerland also advanced in tense fashion, defeating Colombia on penalties after a scoreless draw.
The quarterfinal schedule now starts with France vs. Morocco, followed by Belgium vs. Spain, Norway vs. England and Argentina vs. Switzerland. Yahoo’s bracket update said there are no matches today, with the quarterfinals beginning Thursday.
France have been one of the tournament’s most consistent teams so far. Yahoo noted they are the only side to win all five of their matches without needing extra time, and that Kylian Mbappé remains near the top of the Golden Boot race heading into the Morocco match.
The Round of 16 also delivered a major coaching change. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić stepped down after the team’s World Cup exit, saying in a federation statement that he was leaving “with a fulfilled heart.”