The England national team celebrates after their 3-2 victory over Mexico in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 at Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico on 5/7. Photo: AP

The first four teams to reach the quarter-finals navigated diverse challenges. France and England each endured tense matches against lower-ranked opponents Paraguay and Mexico, respectively. Morocco secured a convincing win against Canada, while Norway delivered the tournament's biggest upset by eliminating Brazil.

In the first quarter-final, France will play Morocco at 3 AM Friday, 10/7 (Hanoi time) in Boston. Didier Deschamps' squad is heavily favored, with Opta giving them a 72% chance of advancing to the semi-finals, compared to Morocco's 28%. The two teams also met in the semi-finals of the previous tournament in Qatar, where France won 2-0.

France earned their quarter-final spot by defeating Paraguay in Philadelphia. In a scorching match, the South American team employed disciplined, aggressive defense, consistently unsettling the French players. The deadlock broke only after substitute Desire Doue came on and earned a penalty in the second half. Kylian Mbappe converted the spot-kick, scoring the only goal of the match.

Center-back William Saliba suggested that Paraguay intentionally provoked France to disrupt their play, but the team maintained focus to secure the win. According to Saliba, France "won a battle" and needs to recover quickly before the quarter-final.

Kylian Mbappe celebrates reaching the quarter-finals after France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US on 4/7. Photo: AP

France's next opponent will be Morocco, who continued to assert their status as a dark horse with a 3-0 victory over co-host Canada in Houston. All three of the African team's goals came in the second half. Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring with a long-range shot, then completed his brace in the 82nd minute from a four-on-two counter-attack. Late in the match, substitute Soufiane Rahimi sealed the 3-0 win with another counter-attack.

This marks Morocco's second consecutive World Cup quarter-final appearance, following their historic semi-final run in Qatar in 2022. The victory also made the African representatives the first team to eliminate a host nation in the 2026 World Cup. However, they suffered a setback when forward Ismael Saibari left the field in the first half due to a hamstring injury. The new Bayern Munich signing has scored three goals in the tournament and his availability for the match against France remains uncertain.

Experts believe this rematch between France and Morocco promises to be more balanced than their previous encounter. Saliba noted that Morocco is undefeated in the tournament, boasts a solid defense, and possesses many players capable of creating game-changing moments. Therefore, France will need to prepare much more thoroughly than they did for the Paraguay match.

Soufiane Rahimi (right) celebrates his goal, which sealed the 3-0 victory, with Achraf Hakimi during Morocco's win over Canada in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 at Houston, Texas, US on 4/7. Photo: AP

In the other bracket, England became the fourth team to secure a quarter-final berth after defeating co-host Mexico 3-2 at Azteca Stadium. The match, delayed by a thunderstorm, featured an exciting back-and-forth contest. Jude Bellingham scored two goals in just 98 seconds in the 36th and 38th minutes, giving England a 2-0 lead. Julian Quinones pulled one back to make it 1-2 before halftime, setting up a volatile second half.

In the 54th minute, England were reduced to 10 men when Jarell Quansah received a direct red card for a dangerous tackle on Jesus Gallardo. Despite this, Harry Kane extended England's lead to 3-1 from a penalty after Anthony Gordon was fouled in the box.

Mexico did not give up. Raul Jimenez also scored from the penalty spot after a VAR decision, narrowing the score to 2-3. In the final 20 minutes, the home team pressed relentlessly, registering a total of 20 shots, but Jordan Pickford and the English defense held firm to secure the victory.

This marks England's third consecutive World Cup quarter-final appearance and their 11th in history, trailing only Brazil and Germany. England's next opponent is Norway, who reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time after their 2-1 victory over Brazil.

Norway forward Erling Haaland (9) competes with Brazil player Douglas Santos (16) during Norway's 2-1 victory over Brazil in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 at New York New Jersey Stadium in the US on 5/7. Photo: AP

Erling Haaland emerged as the hero with a brace in the 79th and 90th minutes. Brazil squandered numerous opportunities, including a missed penalty by Bruno Guimaraes early in the match and Endrick's one-on-one shot wide of the goal. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland also delivered an outstanding performance with a series of crucial saves, contributing significantly to the Nordic team's historic win. Brazil managed only one goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time from a penalty converted by Neymar, but it was not enough to avoid defeat.

The quarter-final match between England and Norway will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, at 4 AM Sunday, 12/7. The Three Lions are still considered favorites with a 60% chance of reaching the semi-finals, compared to Norway's 40%. The two teams have met 12 times, with England winning 7, drawing three, and losing only two matches. However, they have never faced each other in a World Cup finals.

The remaining four quarter-final spots will be determined after the matches: Portugal versus Spain, Argentina versus Egypt, US versus Belgium, and Switzerland versus Colombia.

Compiled by Xuan Binh