England defeated Mexico in a five-goal thriller while Brazil were handed a shock loss at the hands of Norway as the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal line-up takes shape on Monday. After France and Morocco made their way into the last eight a day earlier, England kept their dreams alive for a second World Cup after 60 years, Norway went ahead this far for the first time.
At Estadio Azteca, Mexico certainly had the home advantage and an opportunity to make its deepest run in the FIFA World Cup, but El Tri let it slip away. Playing at altitude with the passionate backing of more than 80,000 fans, and with a man advantage for most of the second half, Mexico scored twice but could never equalize and lost 3-2.
Mexico hadn't conceded a goal in its first four World Cup matches but had no answer for Jude Bellingham, who scored twice in a 99-second span in the first half. Harry Kane added the third nail in the coffin in the second spot.
While Mexico made a step forward from their group-stage exit in Qatar in 2022, the defeat leads a bitter taste for Mexico fans who were hoping to see their country's first last 8 appearance since 1986, when it last hosted the World Cup. Mexico are eliminated in the round of 16 eight times since then.
It was Mexico's third competitive loss at Azteca, which opened in 1966, after a pair of 2-1 defeats in World Cup qualifiers, to Costa Rica in 2001 and to Honduras in 2013. With this win, England will now take on Erling Haaland's Norway for a place in the semifinals.
| Stage | Matches | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
| Quarterfinal 1 | France vs Morocco | July 10 | 1:30 AM | Boston Stadium |
| Quarterfinal 2 | Spain vs Belgium | July 11 | 12:30 AM | Los Angeles Stadium |
| Quarterfinal 3 | Norway vs England | July 12 | 12:30 AM | Miami Stadium |
| Quarterfinal 4 | Argentina vs Switzerland | July 12 | 1:00 AM | Kansas City Stadium |
| Semifinal 1 | Winner QF1 vs Winner QF2 | July 15 | 4:30 AM | Dallas Stadium |
| Semifinal 2 | Winner QF3 vs Winner QF4 | July 16 | 4:30 AM | Atlanta Stadium |
| Third-Place Playoff | Runner-up SF1 vs Runner-up SF2 | July 19 | 12:30 AM | Miami Stadium |
| Grand Final | Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 | July 20 | 4:30 AM | New York New Jersey Stadium |
With two match-ups already in place, the final two quarterfinal line-ups will be determined on Tuesday when Lionel Messi's Argentina take Mohamed Salah's Egypt in Kansas. The Argentina vs Egypt winner will face the victorious team from the Switzerland vs Colombia.
Having already revealed that 2026 edition is his last World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo would be hoping to go deep as he and Portugal can as they face Spain in one of the most highly-anticipated encounters. The winners will face either USA or Belgium in the last 8.
Earlier on the day, Brazil were undone by a Haaland brace as the five time champions go home having massively underachieved. The global powerhouse had their streak of quarterfinal appearances at the tournament end at eight, losing before that stage for the first time since 1990.
It was Brazil's seventh consecutive loss to European opponents in the knockout round at the World Cup, dating to beating Germany in the 2002 final. The absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paquetá did not help.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Time (IST) | Date (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 0-3 | Morocco | Finished | July 5 |
| Paraguay | 0-1 | France | Finished | July 5 |
| Brazil | 1-2 | Norway | Finished | July 6 |
| Mexico | 2-3 | England | Finished | July 6 |
| Portugal | vs | Spain | 12:30 AM | July 7 |
| USA | vs | Belgium | 5:30 AM | July 7 |
| Argentina | vs | Egypt | 9:30 PM | July 7 |
| Switzerland | vs | Colombia | 1:30 AM | July 8 |
Updated till Mexico vs England on July 6.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals will be played from July 10 to 12, followed by the semifinals on July 15 and 16. The grand finale will be held on July 19 (July 20 in Indian Standard Time) at the Metlife Stadium.
Get all updates from FIFA World Cup 2026 here, along with FIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule and FIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.