The final stretch begins to win the world title: Spain will face Belgium in the quarterfinals to reach the second semifinals in its history

The World Cup kicks off the quarterfinals of the competition this Thursday, July 8. Yesterday was the first day in a month in which not a single match of the tournament was played, as fewer and fewer teams remain and at this point, there are only 8 matches left for this World Cup to end.

However, these are the 8 most important matches, as they are the final rounds, and only eight teams remain alive, which will seek with everything to reach glory. The first quarterfinal match will be played between France and Morocco this Thursday, July 9. The only African team left in the tournament will seek to make history again in another World Cup and equal their historical mark of the semifinals they achieved in the previous World Cup in 2022. However, their rival will be France, one of the great favorites to win the title, which arrives very strong without losing a single match. In addition, the French were responsible for eliminating Morocco in the last World Cup, so this match will be a rematch of that game for the Moroccans, and historic for the French who will try to reach the semifinals for three consecutive World Cups.

On Saturday, July 11, England and Norway will star in a European duel in the quarterfinals. Although England has more history and more names in its squad, it is predicted to be a very even match due to the great tournament Norway is having. Haaland is having a great World Cup with 7 goals scored to date, and his captain Odegaard is leading all of Norway's matches. In addition, Norway comes from eliminating five-time champion Brazil, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. On England's side, they also arrive in good form, eliminating one of the sensations of the tournament, Mexico, with a great Harry Kane who has 6 goals and a fantastic Jude Bellingham with 4 goals.

The defending champion, Argentina, will play its quarter-final match against another surprise of the tournament, the Swiss national team. The Argentinians arrive with some doubts regarding their play, however, they have their morale sky-high, after completing the tournament's comeback against Egypt in the round of 16. They also have a very inspired Leo Messi guiding their team. On the Swiss side, they arrive without making much noise, as they have not been talked about to reach these instances, however, they have arrived eliminating Colombia on penalties, being a great defensive block with quality in the attacking zones. For all this, the match may turn out to be more even than it might seem at first glance.

The quarter-finals for Spain

This Friday, July 10, the Spanish national team will seek to make history to reach a semi-final for the second time in its history. Spain will face Belgium in another European duel. The Spaniards arrive without fully finding their top level, but that does not mean they are not having a great tournament with an impeccable defense, which has not yet conceded a single goal, setting a historical record. They also arrive with very high morale after eliminating Portugal in the last minute in a very tense match. Their rival, Belgium, arrives at a similar moment; there have been many doubts about this team during their matches, however, they have reached the quarter-finals, eliminating host United States in the round of 16 with everything against them, after the controversy that surrounded that match. In addition, they have great footballers among their ranks such as De Bruyne, Doku, and Lukaku. Spain has not reached a quarter-final since 2010, making this one of the most important matches for the Spaniards in recent years.