No World Cup Matches Today: Why the Pause?

If you searched for FIFA World Cup action today and came up empty, that’s because there simply aren’t any matches taking place. The tournament has paused briefly after the Round of 16 to give teams time to recover and to prepare the schedule for the next phase.

This break allows players to rest before the quarter-finals kick off on Thursday, July 9th, starting with France vs. Morocco.

Round of 16 Wrap-Up

The final two spots in the quarter-finals were decided on Tuesday in tense matches:

• Argentina 3 - 2 Egypt: Argentina secured their win thanks to goals from Romero, Messi, and Enzo Fernández. Egypt fought back with two goals by Yasser Ibrahim and Ziko but ultimately exited the tournament amid some referee controversy.
• Switzerland 0 (4) - 0 (3) Colombia: After a scoreless draw through regular and extra time, Switzerland advanced by winning the penalty shootout.

The semi-final pairings are already set based on these quarter-final games. The winner of France vs. Morocco will face the victor of Spain vs. Belgium. On the opposite side, whoever wins between Norway and England will meet the team advancing from Argentina vs. Switzerland.