Thursday brings the biggest single day left on the World Cup 2026 calendar, four quarterfinals across four American stadiums, and a draw that looks unlike any other in the tournament’s history. For the first time ever, neither Brazil nor Germany is part of the final eight. Germany fell in the round of 32 on penalties, while Brazil’s exit came at the hands of Norway in the round of 16. Two of the sport’s most decorated federations have combined for eight World Cup titles, yet both are watching this stage from home for the first time in the same year.
A Draw Missing Its Usual Giants
Germany has been eliminated before the quarterfinal round only a handful of times across its World Cup history, with early exits in 1938, 2018 and 2022. Brazil’s pre-quarterfinal departures are similarly rare, coming in 1934, 1966 and 1990. The two nations have appeared in the same World Cup dozens of times, and in most of those tournaments at least one of them advanced deep into the knockout rounds. This is the first edition where both are gone before the last eight even kicks off, a genuine oddity given that Germany still holds the record, detailed in FIFA’s own look at this year’s eight quarterfinalists, for the most quarterfinal appearances of any nation, with eight.
Switzerland Ends the Longest Wait in World Cup History
Of the eight teams that remain, none has a stranger backstory than Switzerland. The Swiss reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 1934 and 1938, then again in 1954 as tournament hosts, when they blew a 3-0 lead and lost 7-5 to Austria in a match that still stands as the highest-scoring game in World Cup history. Switzerland did not return to the quarterfinal stage again until this summer, a gap of 72 years that researchers have identified as the longest between quarterfinal appearances by any country in the tournament’s history. They now face defending champion Argentina at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Morocco Chases a Second Final Four
Morocco’s presence in the last eight carries its own weight. The Atlas Lions already made history in 2022 by becoming the first nation from Africa or the Arab world to reach a World Cup semifinal, and their win over Canada made them the first African side to reach the quarterfinals in consecutive tournaments. A win over France at Gillette Stadium would push that history further still, putting Morocco in position to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal more than once.
Thursday’s Full Slate
The day opens at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where Spain faces Belgium at 3 p.m. ET. An hour later, Morocco meets France at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Norway, playing in a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time in a history that includes just three previous tournament appearances (1938, 1994 and 1998), takes on England at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens at 5 p.m. ET, a match made possible in part by Erling Haaland’s brace that ended Brazil’s run in the previous round. The night closes at Arrowhead Stadium, where Argentina and Switzerland kick off at 9 p.m. ET.
What the Remaining Field Says About Depth
The eight teams left split cleanly along an unusual line. Four have lifted the World Cup before: Argentina three times, France twice, and Spain and England once each. The other four, Belgium, Morocco, Norway and Switzerland, have combined for zero titles and are playing for a level of history that has nothing to do with trophies already won. Belgium has reached this stage before, finishing fourth in 1986 and third as recently as 2018, giving it more big-match pedigree than either Morocco, Norway or Switzerland can claim. That split, four former champions against four nations still chasing a breakthrough, is part of what makes Thursday’s slate feel different from a typical quarterfinal round.
Why It Matters Beyond One Day
World Cups are usually shaped by continuity: the same handful of federations trading semifinal spots every four years. This year’s quarterfinal round breaks that pattern in multiple directions at once. A country making its first appearance at this stage in 72 years, a Scandinavian side that had never been here before, and an African nation with a real path to a second semifinal are all playing on the same day that the tournament’s two most successful federations are sitting out entirely. Whatever happens in the four results, Thursday already stands as one of the more historically unusual days in the competition’s history. For more coverage as the bracket narrows, the Playbook Wire soccer hub will track every result as the semifinal field takes shape.
