World Cup 2026 July 7 preview: Belgium and Argentina chase quarter-finals

Shafaq News- Seattle/ Atlanta/ Vancouver

The World Cup last 16 concludes on Tuesday, Baghdad time, with the United States facing Belgium at 3:00 a.m., Argentina meeting Egypt at 7:00 p.m., and Switzerland playing Colombia at 11:00 p.m.

The three matches will decide the final quarter-final places, with the USA-Belgium winner advancing to face Portugal or Spain, while the winners of Argentina-Egypt and Switzerland-Colombia will meet in the next round.

USA vs Belgium

The United States face Belgium at Seattle Stadium in a last-16 match carrying both recent controversy and older World Cup history.

The US reached this stage after winning Group D, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 before losing 3-2 to Turkiye. Mauricio Pochettino’s side then defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32.

Belgium won Group G after drawing 1-1 with Egypt, drawing 0-0 with Iran, and beating New Zealand 5-1. Rudi Garcia’s side then defeated Senegal 3-2 after extra time in the round of 32, with Youri Tielemans among the key names in the comeback.

The main team-news story before kickoff involved Folarin Balogun, who was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but FIFA suspended enforcement of his one-match ban for a one-year probationary period, allowing him to face Belgium. The Royal Belgian Football Association objected to the decision and stated it was examining “all potential options” to protect “the legitimate rights of all participating teams.”

Balogun enters the match as the United States’ leading scorer in the tournament, with Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Malik Tillman also central to the hosts’ campaign.

Belgium’s squad includes Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Tielemans, Jeremy Doku, Leandro Trossard, and Thibaut Courtois, several of whom remain from the country’s most successful World Cup generation.

The fixture also recalls the 2014 World Cup, when Belgium beat the United States 2-1 after extra time in the round of 16. Tim Howard made a World Cup-record 16 saves that night, but goals from De Bruyne and Lukaku sent Belgium through.

Argentina vs Egypt

Argentina and Egypt meet at Atlanta Stadium in a last-16 fixture shaped by two exhausting round-of-32 matches and two of the tournament’s biggest names: Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah.

Argentina arrived in the knockout stage as Group J winners before beating Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time. Messi scored in that match, while Argentina needed extra time to avoid an early exit against one of the tournament’s surprise stories.

Egypt advanced after beating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Emam Ashour had put Egypt ahead with a header before Australia equalized, but Egypt converted their shootout chances to reach the last 16.

The win over Australia marked Egypt’s first World Cup knockout victory, adding another chapter to a campaign led by Salah, Omar Marmoush, Emam Ashour, and a defensive group including Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hany, and Karim Hafez. Salah had returned to Egypt’s starting lineup against Australia after recovering from a hamstring strain, joining Marmoush and Ashour in the attack.

Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim, who came off the bench against Australia, described the qualification as “a fantastic feeling,” with Salah having been “incredibly supportive.”

Argentina enter the match with the legacy of the defending champions and a squad still carrying several players from the 2022 title run. Messi remains the central figure, with Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Cristian Romero, and Emiliano Martinez among the leading names.

The winner will face Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals.

Switzerland vs Colombia

Switzerland and Colombia meet at BC Place in Vancouver in the final match of the World Cup last 16, with the winner advancing to face Argentina or Egypt.

Switzerland reached this stage unbeaten. The Swiss drew 1-1 with Qatar, then defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 and Canada 2-1 before beating Algeria 2-0 in the round of 32.

Colombia also reached the last 16 unbeaten. They beat Uzbekistan 3-1, defeated DR Congo 1-0, drew 0-0 with Portugal, then beat Ghana 1-0 in the round of 32.

Switzerland’s campaign has been built around an experienced core that includes Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji, Remo Freuler, Ricardo Rodriguez, Gregor Kobel, Breel Embolo, and Dan Ndoye. Johan Manzambi has also emerged as one of their leading scorers in the tournament.

Colombia’s main names include Luis Diaz, James Rodriguez, Daniel Munoz, Jefferson Lerma, Davinson Sanchez, Jhon Cordoba, and Camilo Vargas. Diaz remains central to Colombia’s attack, while Munoz has added goals from full-back.

The match extends Switzerland’s record of regular knockout-stage appearances at major tournaments, while Colombia are seeking another deep World Cup run after reaching the quarter-finals in 2014.

Both teams enter from narrow but clean round-of-32 wins, with Switzerland shutting out Algeria and Colombia edging Ghana. Their meeting closes the last-16 schedule and completes the quarter-final bracket.