The night of July 7–8 brought two Round of 16 matches from the WC 2026 schedule, Kyiv time, and both turned out to be extraordinarily dramatic. Argentina, trailing 0:2 with 11 minutes to go, produced an incredible comeback against Egypt — 3:2. Switzerland could not break Colombia in 120 minutes and advanced only on penalties — 4:3.
Night results
Argentina — Egypt 3:2 (Atlanta, kick-off at 23:00 Kyiv time)
Egypt opened the scoring as early as the 15th minute: Yasser Ibrahim headed home a cross from Marwan Attia — 0:1. Argentina were awarded a penalty, but Messi failed to convert from the spot in the 21st minute — goalkeeper Mustafa Shoubair saved the shot. The Egyptian keeper stopped several more dangerous attacks from the world champions in the first half. In the 67th minute, Mustafa Zico finished a counter-attack after a pass from Hashem Hassan — 0:2. Prior to that, VAR had disallowed another Zico goal: the referee ruled a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martinez in the build-up to the strike. It seemed Egypt were on the verge of a sensation, but Argentina responded with three goals in 11 minutes: Cristian Romero headed in from a Messi delivery — 79th minute (1:2), Messi himself — 83rd minute (2:2), and finally Enzo Fernandez headed home from a Lautaro Martinez cross in the 90+2 — 3:2. The man of the match was Lionel Messi: an assist, a goal, and the lead in the tournament's top-scorer race with 8 goals.
Switzerland — Colombia 0:0 (pen. 4:3) (Vancouver, kick-off at 23:00 Kyiv time)
Regular and extra time (120 minutes) ended goalless. Colombia had more chances — 15 shots to Switzerland's 7 — but could not convert their superiority. In the penalty shootout, Davinson Sanchez hit the crossbar, and Cucho Hernandez's effort was saved by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. Ruben Vargas converted the decisive kick to give Switzerland a 4:3 victory. For the "Nati," this is their first quarterfinal appearance at a World Cup since 1954.
Tournament schedule
With the Round of 16 complete, all eight WC 2026 quarterfinalists have been determined. Argentina will face Switzerland on Saturday, July 12, at 04:00 Kyiv time (Kansas City). The full WC 2026 schedule Kyiv time: quarterfinals and remaining Round of 16 matches is available on a separate page of the site. As a reminder, Spain and Belgium also advanced to the quarterfinals the previous night — more details in the article "Spain and Belgium in the quarterfinals: Round of 16 night at WC 2026".
- WC 2026 Quarterfinals:
- Morocco — France (July 9, 23:00 Kyiv time, Boston)
- Belgium — Spain (July 10, 22:00 Kyiv time, Los Angeles)
- Norway — England (July 11, 00:00 Kyiv time, Miami)
- Argentina — Switzerland (July 12, 04:00 Kyiv time, Kansas City)
Off the pitch
Messi leads the top-scorer race. The goal against Egypt was Lionel Messi's eighth of the tournament — the most of any player. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland each have seven goals.
Egypt — complaints about VAR. The Egyptian coaching staff expressed dissatisfaction with the video referee's decisions after the match: one Zico goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up, and another potential penalty against Argentina was not reviewed by VAR. No official statement from FIFA had been issued at the time of publication.
Colombia — another penalty shootout heartbreak. This is Colombia's second defeat in a penalty shootout at the Round of 16 stage of a World Cup — the previous one came in 2018 against England.
Switzerland — a historic result. Reaching the quarterfinals is the "Nati's" best World Cup result since 1954, when Switzerland hosted the tournament.
There are no WC 2026 matches today — the first quarterfinal takes place tomorrow, July 9: Morocco — France at 23:00 Kyiv time in Boston. A detailed preview will be published in the evening preview section at 18:45.
See also: Argentina survived after Cape Verde's miracle, Egypt advanced on penalties: the night of…
Photo: NBC News · Editorial (source)
