Erling Haaland. Harry Kane. Kylian Mbappé. Lionel Messi. Lamine Yamal. The sheer amount of star power between the eight teams competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals is hard to comprehend, but easy to watch and enjoy.
These teams aren’t here to have fun, though. The teams left standing — Argentina, Belgium, England, France, Morocco, Norway, Spain and Switzerland — have convinced themselves that they have a chance of lifting the World Cup trophy, and some for the first time in their country’s history. From here on out, it’s all business.
Here are the key storylines for every team heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals:
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At 27 years old, Mbappé has already made 103 appearances for France and scored 63 goals. He’s the country’s all-time leading goalscorer.
This is his third World Cup. The first two ended by winning the tournament and a runner-up finish. Another run to the final would put him among the best ever, and it would also likely keep him close to Messi in the race to be the leading goalscorer in the tournament’s history.
If France wins the World Cup this year, Mbappé will be the one lifting the trophy. It would be a three-tournament run that very few players in history can match.
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Spain is known for its impressive possession-first game, featuring one of the best midfields in the world. So far, though, it’s the defense that has been the star of the tournament.
La Roja has played five games at this World Cup, and it is yet to concede a goal. The back line of left back Marc Cucurella, center backs Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí, right back Pedro Porro and goalkeeper Unai Simon have played all 180 minutes of the knockout stage together, and the unit might be impenetrable.
Simon has gone 609 minutes without conceding a goal at the World Cup, which is the longest streak ever by a goalkeeper.
Next up is Belgium, which has scored nine goals in its last two games against New Zealand and the United States.
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Man, Viking, Monster — call him what you want, as long as you call him the most dominant striker on this planet, and possibly others. The only player that comes close? The player that will be starting opposite of him in the quarterfinal, Harry Kane.
But Kane can’t stop Haaland; he can only hope to cancel out his goals with his own. So who can? Marc Guéhi, his teammate at Manchester City? Ezri Konsa, who held Haaland scoreless in their lone Premier League meeting last season? Or will it be Jordan Pickford, who Haaland scored three goals against last season?
The answer will be some combination of the three, because though many have tried, there is no one person that can stop Haaland.
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If the FIFA World Cup was a video game, Lionel Messi would have beaten it — platinumed it. He’s the tournament’s all-time leadiner in goals and assists, he’s won the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player twice, and, in 2022, he finally lifted the trophy after besting Kylian Mbappé and France in arguably the greatest final of all time.
Now? Messi is after his second — and likely last — World Cup title. If he pulls it off, Messi will become the first player in World Cup history to win two World Cups while wearing the captain’s armband, and Argentina will become first back-to-back men’s World Cup champions since Brazil 64 years ago.
It’s more than just bragging rights on the line; it’s World Cup immortality.
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