The final two round-of-16 matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup produced an all-time classic when Argentina took on Egypt, while Colombia faced off against Switzerland in a battle of Group Stage winners that went all the way to penalties. Here's how the last two pre-quarters unfolded today.
Argentina beat Egypt 3-2
Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after tying 0-0 after 120 minutes.
Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarterfinals
This is how the quarterfinal bracket looks like for the 2026 World Cup:
Here's how the games played out:
Colombia 0 (3) - (4) 0 Switzerland
A dull match that sparked to life in Extra Time finally ended with a shootout win for Switzerland, who will now move on and face Argentina in the quarterfinals.
The opening 90 minutes saw Colombia dominate possession and tempo without creating any clear chances: In fact, their combined xG at the end of the second half was just 0.7, the lowest recorded at any match this World Cup. With Johan Manzambi out injured, the Swiss went back to their traditional deep-lying defence and that wore out a Colombia team that never found their finishing boots in this edition.
That point was highlighted in Extra Time when Colombia went all-out attack. Jhon Lucumí smacked the crossbar with a close-range header and there were a few meek finishes and awry passes in there, but the most egregious miss came when Jáminton Campaz ran onto a defensive lapse well inside the Swiss box and skied it from about 8m out, with just the keeper, Gregor Kobel, to beat.
In the penalty shootout, it would be Kobel who turned hero for the Swiss. Davinson Sánchez (crossbar) and Manuel Akanji (skier) missed early, but Kobel pulled off a full-length dive save to keep out Juan Hernández and that would prove the difference maker as Rubén Vargas calmly converted the Swiss' fifth kick.
Argentina 3 - 2 Egypt
(Romero 79', Messi 83', Fernandez 90+2'; Ibrahim 19', Ziko 67')
Lionel Messi pulled out yet another throwback performance to drive a sensational comeback for Argentina against a superb Egypt side that had led 2-0 until the 79th minute.
The game started with Egypt on the front foot, as is now custom under coach Hossam Hassan. That early enterprise was rewarded when a cleverly worked corner routine seeing Marwan Ateya whip in a cross that Yasser Ibrahim thumped in after nipping in front of Lisandro Martínez. Egypt thought their lead would last just two minutes when Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down by Haissem Hassan in the box, but Messi stepped up and missed. This was his second penalty miss of the tournament (the first was vs Austria in the Group Stages).
Egypt took the 1-0 lead into the half-time break and started to sit back deep and look to counter in second half. It almost paid off in the 58th minute when Mustafa Ziko tapped in after a rip-roaring counter involving Hassan and Mohamed Salah, but a VAR check showed that there had been a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the build-up which led to Egypt countering. With the goal chalked off, Argentina continued to ramp up the pressure without much penetration. In the 67th minute, Salah and Hassan led another rapid counter and this time there was nothing wrong with Ziko's goal as he once again tapped in from close range after an excellent final run and pass from Hassan.
With Argentina looking on the way out, Messi stood up. First, he sent in a sensational cross that Cristian Romero nodded in from close range. Then, four minutes later, he ran onto a bouncing ball in the box and volleyed Argentina level.
The drama was not done, though. Leandro Paredes made a crucial intervention to stop Egypt ripping Argentina apart on the counter again, before Julián Álvarez dispossessed Salah in Argentina's box and started off a counter that end with Lautaro Martínez whipping in a sensational cross for Enzo Fernández to head into the far corner with a superb header.