Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 World Cup takes a rare day off today with no matches scheduled as the tournament pauses between rounds.
- Fans have enjoyed wall-to-wall action since June 11, but the break allows the quarterfinal teams to rest before the next matches.
- Play resumes Thursday afternoon with four high-stakes games that will determine who advances toward the tournament's final weekend.
If you're one of the millions of Americans who have become utterly hooked on the 2026 World Cup, we come bearing some bad news: You're going to have to find another way to avoid doing your job for the next 24 hours or so.
Do not adjust your computer screen. You're not misreading the schedule. There really are no matches on tap for Wednesday, as the World Cup goes dark for the first time since the tournament began back on June 11.
We understand if you’re angry, confused and demanding answers after almost a month of wall-to-wall incredible soccer. But don't worry: Play will resume soon enough. Here’s why there are no World Cup games today, as the last eight teams remaining take a breather before the final push towards glory.
Why are there no World Cup games on today?
Tuesday gave us the final two matches of the round of 16, as Lionel Messi and Argentina stormed back with three goals in the final 15 minutes to break Egyptian hearts and Switzerland survived a penalty shootout against Colombia. With those results, the quarterfinals are now set: France vs. Morocco, Spain vs. Belgium, England vs. Norway and Argentina against the Swiss.
First, though, everyone gets a day of well-deserved rest. There are only four matches in the next round, as opposed to eight in the round of 16, and FIFA understandably would rather target the weekend rather than the middle of the week. So the quarterfinals won't begin until Thursday afternoon — when France takes on Morocco at 4 p.m. ET in Foxborough. That brief break allows the semifinals to be held in the middle of next week, with the winners getting requisite time off to rest up before the final next weekend.
If, like me, you've built the last few weeks of your life around watching soccer at all hours of the afternoon, I understand that this is a jarring change. But it's just for one day, and the matches we've got coming will be well worth the wait.
Full World Cup schedule as quarterfinals resume
We're set up to have pretty much nothing but bangers for the remainder of the tournament, as the bracket features everything from European heavyweights to dark horses like Morocco and Norway to the defending champions in Argentina. Here's how the World Cup schedule lines up from here.
Match | Date and time | Location |
|---|---|---|
France vs. Morocco | 4 p.m. ET, July 9 | Foxborough, Mass. |
Spain vs. Belgium | 3 p.m. ET, July 10 | Inglewood, Calif. |
Norway vs. England | 5 p.m. ET, July 11 | Miami, Fla. |
Argentina vs. Switzerland | 9 p.m. ET, July 11 | Kansas City, Mo. |
Semifinal 1: France/Morocco winner vs. Spain/Belgium winner | 3 p.m. ET, July 14 | Arlington, Tex. |
Semifinal 2: Norway/England winner vs. Argentina/Switzerland winner | 3 p.m. ET, July 15 | Atlanta, Ga. |
Third-place match: France/Morocco/Spain/Belgium vs. Norway/England/Argentina/Switzerland | 5 p.m. ET, July 18 | Miami, Fla. |
Final: France/Morocco/Spain/Belgium vs. Norway/England/Argentina/Switzerland | 3 p.m. ET, July 19 | East Rutherford, NJ |
France are currently the heavy betting favorites to win the whole thing, with Draftkings listening them as +180 — with Spain at +370, Argentina at +400 and England at +470. But while Les Bleus have clearly the most significant collection of talent, anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament, and Didier Deschamps' conservative style has gotten this team into trouble before.
Aside from maybe Switzerland or Belgium you can talk yourself into any of the remaining teams hoisting the trophy at MetLife Stadium when all is said and done. Spain are the reigning European champions. Argentina just won this tournament in 2022, and they still have Lionel Messi defying Father Time as he nears his 40th birthday. Norway and Morocco are dark horses, but both have plenty of top-flight talent and have looked awfully impressive to this point. There's only one thing we can say for sure: You're going to want to watch every second of it.
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