Bandwagon Quarterfinal · Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Argentina
SwitzerlandSaturday, July 11, 9:00 PM EDT · 📺 FOX
FT 3-1 (AET) · Argentina advance
The defending champs just pulled off the greatest escape of the tournament, and Messi is running out of World Cups to say goodbye in. Standing in the way: a Switzerland side that hasn't reached this stage since 1954 and just out-nerved Colombia in a shootout. On paper it's a mismatch. Switzerland didn't get the memo.
Win and you're in the final four, one game from the final. The winner faces Norway or England in the semifinal. For Argentina it's a title defense and, at 39, almost certainly Messi's last World Cup run. For Switzerland it's the deepest they've gone in 72 years.
Root for Argentina if you want the fairy-tale ending: the greatest player ever, chasing one last trophy, riding a comeback for the ages. Root for Switzerland if you like a giant-killing — a group of overachievers with a 20-year-old wonderkid, playing with house money against the champs. Either way, if it goes to penalties, buckle up: both keepers are killers.
01Sound smart about this
- Argentina were dead and buried. Egypt led 2-0 past the 75th minute of the Round of 16 before the champions scored three times in the final stretch — Cristian Romero at 79' (Messi assist), Messi himself at 83', and Enzo Fernández heading in the winner in stoppage time. Messi even missed a penalty in the game and still walked off the hero.
- Switzerland are the tournament's great party-crashers. They ground Colombia to a 0-0 stalemate over 120 minutes and won the shootout 4-3, with keeper Gregor Kobel saving Cucho Hernández's penalty and Rubén Vargas burying the decisive kick. It's their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954 — and it came without their breakout star: 20-year-old Johan Manzambi lit up the group stage but hurt his knee in training and watched the Colombia win from the sideline.
- This one screams penalty shootout — and that's terrifying for Switzerland. Argentina have Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez, who has never lost a shootout in an Argentina shirt: he won the 2022 World Cup final on penalties against France, plus the 2022 semifinal and two Copa Américas. Kobel just proved he's got nerve too. If 90 (or 120) minutes settle nothing, it becomes the best goalkeeper subplot of the tournament.
02Players to actually watchtap a line to copy
He's leading the Golden Boot race with 8 goals and just dragged Argentina back from the dead against Egypt with an 83rd-minute equalizer and an assist. At 39, this is almost certainly his final World Cup — every match now is a possible last dance. When the game gets tight, everything runs through him.
Say this“At 39 he's still the best player on the field and the clock's running out — this is his last shot at going out on top.”
'Dibu' is the ultimate big-game keeper — Argentina have never lost a penalty shootout with him in goal, including the 2022 World Cup final. He's part shot-stopper, part psychological warfare, famous for getting in shooters' heads. If this goes to penalties, he's why Argentina are favored.
Say this“If it goes to penalties, that guy in the Argentina goal has never lost a shootout for his country — he's a menace.”
The 20-year-old breakout of the tournament — three goals and two assists in the group stage before a knee injury sidelined him for the Colombia shootout. If he's fit enough to return, he's Switzerland's spark and the one player who can turn a grind into a highlight.
Say this“Watch whether the Swiss kid Manzambi is fit — he's the 20-year-old everyone's suddenly trying to sign, and Switzerland are way more dangerous with him.”
Switzerland's focal point up top and the guy who has to make something out of nothing against a heavy favorite. With captain Granit Xhaka pulling the strings behind him, Embolo is the outlet on the counter — the Swiss won't see much of the ball, so they need him ruthless with the little they get.
Say this“Switzerland are going to sit back and counter, so Embolo up top has to make his one or two chances count.”
03Ask thistap to copy
Is this actually Messi's last World Cup game — or does he have one more run left in him?
How does a team come back from 2-0 down in the 77th minute and still win in regulation? Has that ever even happened before?
Both these teams just won their last game on nerve — should Switzerland be terrified of another shootout against Dibu Martínez, or does their keeper give them a real shot?
Wait, Switzerland hasn't made a World Cup quarterfinal since 1954 — how are they suddenly this good?
If Argentina gets through, would you rather they face Norway and Haaland or England in the semis?
04Opinions you can safely have
- Argentina are clear favorites, but that Egypt comeback proved they can be flat for 75 minutes and get away with it — the champs are living dangerously.
- Switzerland are the most fun underdog left: no superstars, a 20-year-old breakout, and a keeper who just won a shootout. Nothing to lose is a dangerous mindset.
- If this goes to penalties, take Argentina — Dibu Martínez has never lost a shootout for his country, and that's about as close to a sure thing as soccer gets.
05Jargon of the match
If the score is tied after regulation and extra time, the game is decided from the spot — five players a side each take a one-on-one from 12 yards, most goals wins, then sudden death if still level. It's brutal and mostly a coin flip — except when your keeper is Dibu Martínez, who turns it into a home game. Both teams reached this round on last-gasp drama, so it's very much in play.
06The call
Argentina control it but Switzerland make them sweat, exactly like Egypt did. Messi finds a moment and the champions edge it 2-1 — though if the Swiss drag it to penalties, don't say we didn't warn you.
Facts checked: 2026-07-13. Lineups drop ~1 hour before kickoff.