World Cup quarterfinals today: Schedule, predictions, Haaland’s viral rise

Two quarterfinal matches will determine the final semifinal participants in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. England and Norway compete in their first-ever World Cup encounter, though they have met 12 times previously with England holding a strong historical advantage of eight wins to two. The Scandinavian side has not scored in their last four meetings, with their most recent clash ending in a 1-0 English victory in a September 2014 friendly.

According to Opta's computational analysis based on 25,000 simulations, England enters as favourites with a 50.4 percent probability of winning within regular time and a 62.3 percent overall chance of advancing when accounting for extra time and penalty shootouts. Norway receives a 25.1 percent chance of victory in 90 minutes, with draws occurring in 24.6 percent of simulations.

Argentina, the defending champions, face Switzerland in the second quarterfinal. The South American side maintains an undefeated record against Switzerland across seven previous meetings, with five victories and two draws. Opta's modelling gives Argentina a 57.1 percent chance of winning in normal time and a 69.4 percent probability of semifinal advancement. Switzerland is assigned a 30.6 percent chance of progressing, with an 18.7 percent probability of victory in 90 minutes.

Separately, Portugal's football federation announced the appointment of Jorge Jesus as national team coach following Roberto Martinez's departure after the team's round-of-16 elimination. The 71-year-old Jesus, who previously coached at Benfica, Sporting CP and Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, returns to international football management.