Аргентин хоцрогдлоос гайхалтай эргэн ирж Египетийг буулган авсан бол Швейцарь торгуулийн цохилтоор Колумбийг хожлоо.
Дэлхийн аваргын шөвгийн 16-гийн тоглолтод Аргентин 0:2-ын харьцаатай хожигдож байхдаа тоглолтын хувь заяаг эргүүлж чадлаа. Яссер Ибрахим, Мостафа Зико нарын гоолоор Египет тэргүүлж байсан ч Лионель Месси багийнхаа эргэн ирэлтийг удирдаж, Кристиан Ромеро болон өөрөө гоолдсоноор тооны харьцааг тэнцүүлсэн юм. Улмаар нэмэлт цагт Энцо Фернандес хожлын гоолыг оруулснаар Аргентин дараагийн шатанд шалгарлаа.
Швейцарь болон Колумбийн тоглолт тун хаалттай өрнөж, үндсэн цагт гоол ороогүй юм. Торгуулийн цохилтын цувралд Швейцарийн хаалгач Грегор Кобель Кучо Эрнандесийн цохилтыг хааснаар багтаа ялалт авчирлаа. Давинсон Санчес болон Мануэл Аканьжи нар өмнө нь цохилтоо алдсан нь тоглолтын шийдвэрлэх мөч байв.
Тэмцээний шөвгийн наймын хүрээнд пүрэв гарагт Франц болон Марокко учраа таарна. Францын довтолгоо тун хүчирхэг байгаа бөгөөд Килиан Мбаппе, Майкл Олисе нар багийн гол найдвар хэвээр байна. Мароккогийн хувьд Исмаел Саибаригийн бэртэл тоглолтын тактикт нөлөөлөх магадлалтай ч тэд сөрөг довтолгоонд суурилан тоглох нь тодорхой байна.
Баасан гарагт болох Испани болон Бельгийн тоглолт олны анхаарлыг татаж байна. Испани Португалийг хожсон ч тоглолтын түвшин тогтворгүй байгаа нь Ламине Ямалын бэртэлтэй холбоотой. Бельги баг Сенегалыг хожиж, АНУ-ыг 4:1-ээр бут ниргэснээр сэтгэл зүйн хувьд өндөр түвшинд байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Welcome to The Athletic’s daily World Cup Predictions.
This article gives you the lowdown on all today’s games but with the bonus of some friendly competition…
Throughout the tournament, we will have one of two Athletic writers (Andy Jones or Elias Burke — with help from our experts from each of the 48 countries) pitting our soccer knowledge against a different Athletic subscriber each day and ‘Algo’, the shiny new algorithm from The Athletic, which is making its computerised debut during the 2026 World Cup.
Oh, and a dog called Stanley and a six-year-old called Wilfred (who some of you may remember from last season’s Premier League predictions).
Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.
Our guest subscriber today is Kevin, from Belgium, who supports Belgium and Arsenal Women. Good luck!
If you would like to apply to be our guest subscriber for a day during this tournament, please follow the instructions in the article here.
What happened on Matchday 27?
Just when you think this World Cup can’t get any more dramatic, it tells you to hold its beer while it cranks the drama dial up again.
In their apparent quest to make sure they are part of the game of the tournament, Argentina’s 3-2 victory against Cape Verde in the round of 32 was only the prelude to their win over Egypt by the same scoreline.
After 79 minutes, Lionel Messi’s World Cup career looked over as Egypt held a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, and had a third controversially ruled out. Messi had also missed a first-half penalty to equalise, but late in the second half he flicked a switch and led his team to a memorable comeback. Cristian Romero headed in Messi’s cross before the 39-year-old slammed in an equaliser himself. A swift counter-attack then led to Enzo Fernandez heading in the winner in added time.
The day’s other last-16 tie between Switzerland and Colombia was the opposite of dramatic. Both sides seemed reluctant to take risks, and coupled with a lack of quality in the final third and poor finishing, a shootout was the obvious direction of travel from quite early on. Colombia’s fourth penalty saw Gregor Kobel make the key save from Cucho Hernandez after centre-backs Davinson Sanchez and Manuel Akanji had missed for each team.
While we were all delighted — from a prediction perspective — to see Argentina complete their rally, we were left disappointed by Colombia. The only exception was Stanley, who began his own attempt at a World Cup comeback by opting for Switzerland.
How do the predictions work?
It’s pretty simple: we will give you some background on each game, players to watch and facts on the two teams.Then we will predict the outcome.
We will maintain a leaderboard of how everyone gets on with their predictions (ranked by the percentage they get correct) but we’ll also keep a record of “streaks” — the number of predictions everyone gets right in a row. These streaks also form a crucial part ofThe Athletic’s interactive Soccer Pick’ems feature, allowing you to make your own picks every round, too.
So come along and get involved, and check back each day to see how we are getting on in the leaderboard — and probably more importantly, whether you, the subscribers, or Stanley or Wilfred are beating us.
Or, worst of all, whether ‘Algo’can prove data and statistics know all when it comes to predicting.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Predictions for Matchdays 28 and 29
Thursday — France vs Morocco, quarter-finals; kick-off 4pm ET, 9pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 3/5. Having built on their historic semi-finals appearance in the 2022 World Cup, Morocco should no longer be considered underdogs, but France knocked them out then and are likely to do the same here.
Watch Rating: 4/5. France’s attack has delivered beyond expectation in this tournament, and there’s no reason to suggest they won’t do so again in this match.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “France have barely got out of second gear in their first five games and their attack is so impressive they may not need to in this one either. With seven goals, Kylian Mbappe continues on his path towards becoming the greatest World Cup player in history (though the still-brilliant Lionel Messi, as well as Diego Maradona and Pele, may have something to say about that). Michael Olise has established himself as one of the game’s biggest stars in his first major international tournament. There is an air of inevitability about France at this World Cup, and most people, including former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, make his homeland clear favourites to win it.
Will this be France’s first true test? (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
“Still, owing to a free pass against a heavily-rotated Norway on matchday three and relatively straightforward knockout ties with Sweden and Paraguay, there is a sense that they are yet to be truly tested. Senegal, their most formidable opponents, looked threatening in the first half of France’s eventual 3-1 opening-game win and probably should have gone in ahead at half-time. Earlier-than-expected eliminations are not unheard of for the French under Didier Deschamps, with their last-16 penalty shootout loss to Switzerland at Euro 2020 the primary example, so hope is far from lost for Morocco.
“To maximise their chances of perhaps the most famous win of this impressive stretch since becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final four years ago, Morocco will have to hope Ismael Saibari can prove he is fit. Bayern Munich’s new signing was forced off in the first half of the 3-0 win against Canada on Saturday with an unspecified muscular issue, and there is no confirmation yet whether he will be available for this tie. With or without their star player, expect Morocco to invite pressure and then look to hit France quickly on the counter-attack — a tactic which has brought them great success in recent years.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: FRANCE WIN
Guest Subscriber Kevin: FRANCE WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: FRANCE WIN
Stanley the dog: FRANCE WIN
Algo: FRANCE WIN
Friday — Spain vs Belgium, quarter-finals; kick-off 3pm ET, 8pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), BBC (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 4/5. Spain were not at their brilliant best against Portugal in the previous round, but eliminating one of the pre-tournament contenders should not be underestimated, while Belgium appeared to find their footing against the United States. Spain are favourites here, but this tie is tougher to call than expected.
Watch Rating: 4/5. Miss a World Cup quarter-final at your peril, particularly with the performance of underdogs at this World Cup. Let’s see if Spain can kick into gear against a wily Belgium side sprinkled with potential match-winners.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Given how exciting the rest of this World Cup has been, perhaps Spain’s win over Portugal has been slightly underappreciated. While Cristiano Ronaldo and company had been far from outstanding in the tournament, many expected them to reach the semi-finals (or beyond), so to eliminate such a team with a professional performance, where Roberto Martinez’s side failed to create any clear-cut chances, may be a point in favour of Spain’s trophy-winning credentials, not a point against.
“But at the same time, the Spanish are yet to come anywhere near the levels they reached in 2024, when they became European champions. As Lamine Yamal continues to get up to speed following a pre-tournament hamstring injury, Spain have lacked the one-v-one dribbling and pace out wide which added another dimension to the slow and patient build-up for which they are famed in Germany two years ago, meaning they have occasionally looked one-paced and predictable. Finding a way to bring out the best in Yamal appears central to Spain’s prospects of winning this World Cup, as does fellow wide man Nico Williams also returning to full fitness after a groin problem.
Lamine Yamal could be key to Spain winning their quarter-final (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“In Belgium, they face a team growing in confidence and chemistry after a disappointing group stage. Their miraculous late comeback against Senegal in the last 32 will have boosted team unity, while their 4-1 thrashing of the USMNT on Monday was a comprehensive display of their attacking talent. They have looked shaky in defence, and Spain will have the quality to test that unit, but they have the tools in the attacking third to upset many people’s pre-tournament favourites.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: SPAIN WIN
Guest Subscriber Kevin: BELGIUM WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: SPAIN WIN
Stanley the dog: BELGIUM WIN
Algo: SPAIN WIN
