Available in USThe quarter-finals are done, and for the first time in World Cup history the tournament’s four highest-ranked teams — France, Spain, England and Argentina — have all reached the semi-finals. The last eight closed with two extra-time dramas in the same Saturday-night window: Jude Bellingham dragged England past Norway, and Argentina broke a ten-man Switzerland deep in extra time. This page is the reference recap for Canadian readers — all four results, the scorers, the flashpoints, and how the outright market reacted as the bracket narrowed to a semi-final line-up nobody could call soft.
Results and scorers below are confirmed final scores as reported by FIFA, ESPN and Al Jazeera on July 11. Odds are decimal quotes captured July 12–13 from FanDuel and ESPN media feeds and our partner books, shown as ranges where books disagree. Confirm the live number at your book before staking. All stakes in CAD.
Table of Contents
- The four quarter-final results at a glance
- QF1 and QF2 — France and Spain went first
- QF3 — England 2–1 Norway (aet), a Bellingham night
- QF4 — Argentina 3–1 Switzerland (aet), the Embolo red card
- What it did to the odds
- The semi-finals now set
The Four Quarter-Final Results at a Glance
- France 2–0 Morocco (July 9, Foxborough) — France advance
- Spain 2–1 Belgium (July 10, Los Angeles) — Spain advance
- England 2–1 Norway, after extra time (July 11, Miami Gardens) — England advance
- Argentina 3–1 Switzerland, after extra time (July 11, Kansas City) — Argentina advance
Both Saturday ties needed extra time, and both eliminated a first-time quarter-finalist making its own history — Norway and Switzerland (the Swiss in their first last-eight since 1954) both go home.
QF1 and QF2 — France and Spain Went First
France opened the round with a controlled 2–0 win over Morocco in Foxborough, extending a run that now reads six straight wins with clean sheets in all three knockout ties. Spain followed in Los Angeles, edging Belgium 2–1 with a late Mikel Merino winner on 88 minutes — though the tie also ended Spain’s tournament-long shutout, the first goal they had conceded all World Cup. Both favourites did their job before the Saturday double-header turned dramatic.
QF3 — England 2–1 Norway (aet), a Bellingham Night
Norway, in their first-ever World Cup quarter-final, went ahead through Andreas Schjelderup on 36 minutes and looked to be frustrating England at Hard Rock Stadium. Then Jude Bellingham took over. He levelled deep in first-half stoppage time (45+2′) to make it 1–1 at the break, and three minutes into extra time (93′) he pounced on a ricochet off the Norway goalkeeper to win it. England reach their first World Cup semi-final since 2018 and set up a first meeting with Argentina since 2002.
The subplot for the market: Erling Haaland’s tournament ends on seven goals, freezing his Golden Boot total, while Bellingham’s brace lifted him to six and into the outside scorer contention.
QF4 — Argentina 3–1 Switzerland (aet), the Embolo Red Card
The last quarter-final was the wildest. Alexis Mac Allister put Argentina ahead inside ten minutes at Arrowhead Stadium, but Dan Ndoye levelled for Switzerland on 67. The tie’s hinge came on 72 minutes: Breel Embolo was sent off for simulation after a VAR review — a second yellow when replays showed he had gone down before contact — reducing Switzerland to ten. Argentina eventually broke the resistance in extra time, Julián Álvarez on 112 and Lautaro Martínez in the last seconds (120+1′), for a 3–1 final. It is Argentina’s third straight World Cup semi-final, and Switzerland exited furious at the decision that turned the game.
What It Did to the Odds
The results reshaped the outright board without changing the favourite:
- France — 2.35–2.50, unmoved as the clear title favourite
- Spain — 4.30–5.10, drifted as England and Argentina firmed
- England — 4.10–5.90, steamed hard after the win (FanDuel’s 4.10 now makes England its second favourite)
- Argentina — 5.00–5.20, marginally shorter
The books disagree on the order behind France: ESPN ranks Spain ahead of Argentina ahead of England, while FanDuel has England shortest of the three. That is a line-shopper’s gap — the full read is in our World Cup 2026 winner odds after the final four breakdown.
The Semi-Finals Now Set
The bracket resolved into two ties, both 15:00 ET kickoffs:
- Semi-final 1 — France vs Spain, Tuesday July 14, AT&T Stadium, Arlington/Dallas
- Semi-final 2 — England vs Argentina, Wednesday July 15, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
France against Spain is only the second World Cup meeting between the two (France won the first, 3–1, in 2006), billed as a “final before the final.” England against Argentina renews a charged rivalry that runs through 1986 and 1998, their first World Cup meeting since 2002. Both are covered in full in our France vs Spain semi-final preview and England vs Argentina semi-final preview, with the round-level board in the World Cup 2026 semi-final previews and odds hub.
- France, Spain, England and Argentina are through — the first time the four top-ranked teams have all reached a World Cup semi-final.
- Both Saturday ties went to extra time: England 2–1 Norway (Bellingham brace) and Argentina 3–1 Switzerland (after Embolo’s red card).
- Norway and Switzerland, both first-time-quarter-final stories, are eliminated.
- The results steamed England (to as short as 4.10) and drifted Spain, but France (2.35–2.50) stays the clear favourite.
Following the Semi-Finals in Canada
Both semi-finals kick off at 15:00 ET — an afternoon watch in the East, mid-day out West. Canadian-facing books such as Boomerang Bet, Betibet, Rabona and Spinit are pricing every market in CAD; single-game wagering is legal nationwide, with Ontario’s open market and provincial platforms elsewhere.
For the team backgrounds see our France, Spain, England and Argentina pages; the live World Cup 2026 odds board updates after each result, and Golden Boot odds tracks the scoring race. Please bet responsibly and within your limits.
