For the first time in 27 days of continuous play, no matches took place at the 2026 World Cup on July 8 — the tournament paused ahead of the quarter-finals. Yet off the pitch, things were just as heated: the Egyptian Football Association filed an official complaint with FIFA over the refereeing in their round-of-16 match, while Mexico announced a new head coach. The up-to-date 2026 World Cup match schedule in Kyiv time is available in our dedicated article.
Overnight Results
No 2026 World Cup matches were played in the window between 22:00 on July 8 and 08:00 on July 9 (Kyiv time). This was the tournament's first rest day after 27 consecutive match days. All eight quarter-finalists have already been determined: France, Morocco, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, and Switzerland.
Tournament Schedule
The round of 16 has been completed in full. Here is a recap of the results: Argentina beat Egypt 3:2 in a dramatic comeback, while Switzerland eliminated Colombia on penalties (0:0 after extra time, 4:3 in the shootout). More details on those matches can be found in the night digest from July 8. The full 2026 World Cup match schedule in Kyiv time: Argentina and Switzerland in the quarter-finals is on a separate page.
Off the Pitch
Egypt Files Official Complaint with FIFA
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) officially challenged the refereeing in their round-of-16 match against Argentina (1:3) on Wednesday. EFA President Hany Abo Rida submitted a formal complaint to FIFA against French referee François Letexier and his assistants. The federation stated that "several key incidents raised serious doubts about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly affected the course of the game." The central episode of the dispute was Mostafa Zico's goal in the 62nd minute, which would have made the score 2:0 — it was disallowed after a VAR review for an infringement in the build-up approximately 20 seconds before the strike. In addition, Egypt demanded a penalty after Hamdi Fathi went down, but the referees did not react — and on the very next attack, Argentina scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute. FIFA had not responded to the complaint at the time of publication.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan said after the match that he would personally boycott watching the remaining 2026 World Cup games, calling the result "unjust." Captain Mohamed Salah also publicly expressed his frustration with the refereeing.
Rafael Marquez — Mexico's New Head Coach
The Mexican Football Federation announced on Wednesday the appointment of Rafael Marquez as the successor to Javier Aguirre as head coach of the national team. Marquez will lead the side through to the 2030 World Cup. Mexico were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16, losing to England 2:3.
Zlatko Dalic Steps Down from Croatia
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic announced his resignation following the team's round-of-16 exit against Spain (0:1). Dalic had been in charge of the "Chequered Ones" since 2017, guiding them to the 2018 World Cup final and the bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup.
Controversy Over FIFA and Refereeing Continues
Egypt's complaint is not the first official grievance directed at FIFA during this tournament. Earlier, Belgium challenged the decision to overturn the suspension of American forward Folarin Balogun, which FIFA lifted following a public appeal by US President Donald Trump. That situation has already sparked widespread debate about potential political influence over football's governing body.
Today, July 9, the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals kick off with the match France vs. Morocco in Foxborough, Massachusetts — starting at 23:00 Kyiv time.
Photo: World Soccer Talk · Editorial (source)
