Argentina face off against Switzerland in the last of the quarterfinals at the 2026 World Cup and both sides have reached there in contrasting fashion.
Argentina survived two knockout scares -- a 3-2 win over Cape Verde in extra time and a comeback 3-2 win over Egypt in which they were trailing by two until the 78th minute. Lionel Messi's incredible form has been crucial for the defending champions and all eyes will once again be on the great man when it kicks off at the Arrowhead stadium.
Switzerland, meanwhile, breezed past Algeria in the round of 32 before grinding out a penalty shootout win vs Colombia in the next round. This is just the fourth quarterfinal in their World Cup history (after 1934, 1938 and 1954), and they will be keen to make history and cause a major upset against Argentina and Messi.
Here's everything you need to know about the game:
How to watch:
The match will be available on ITV 1 in the UK, Fox Sports in the U.S., Zee5 in India and SBS in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time:
U.S. ET: 9 p.m. Saturday, July 11
UK BST: 2 a.m. Sunday, July 12
India IST: 6:30 a.m. Sunday, July 12
Australia AEST: 11 a.m. Sunday, July 12
Venue: Arrowhead stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Referee: TBC
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Argentina (4-4-2)
Emiliano Martínez
Nahuel Molina | Cristian Romero | Lisandro Martínez | Nicolás Tagliafico
Rodrigo De Paul | Leandro Paredes | Alexis Mac Allister | Enzo Fernández
Lionel Messi | Julián Álvarez
Switzerland (4-2-3-1)
Gregor Kobel
Denis Zakaria | Nico Elvedi | Manuel Akanji | Ricardo Rodríguez
Remo Freuler | Granit Xhaka
Dan Ndoye | Djibril Sow | Rubén Vargas
Breel Embolo
Switzerland are sweating over the fitness of young Johan Manzambi, who missed the round-of-16 tie with Colombia after a knee injury sustained in training. There are also injury doubts over Luca Jaquez and Michel Aebischer
Talking Points
Can Lionel Messi do it again?
Argentina have been far from the smooth, well-oiled machine that won Qatar 2022, but... They still have Lionel Messi. The Egypt match was as good an example as any that Messi, 39, can still decide the course of matches and doesn't need much time to do it (4 minutes and 19 seconds separated his assist and goal that made Argentina 0-2 Egypt to Argentina 2-2 Egypt). Messi himself was keen to stress on the togetherness and fighting spirit of the squad -- but end of the day, it seems plain that he needs to turn up again for the reigning champions to continue their defence of the title.
This has been exacerbated by the lack of productivity around him. Julian Alvarez has been off the boil this whole tournament while the normally prolific Lautaro Martínez remains curiously goal-shy in World Cup football. The midfield -- apart from Enzo Fernandez -- is a static one and much of the deep lying creativity is coming from Lisandro Martinez's passing out of defence.
It's not mattered materially so far for this team because Messi has decided to be, well, Messi... But how long can he keep it up this tournament?
If Manzambi gets fit, he will be key
Argentina have suffered in their previous two matches because of the direct running of their opponents. With that flat midfield of theirs compressing space down the middle and not very comfortable out wide -- and their fullbacks pushing forward -- there have been spaces down the wing which both Cape Verde and Egypt expertly exploited in their knockout ties.
In Johan Manzambi, Switzerland have the perfect player to exploit this major weakness. If he can get fit again in time -- something coach Murat Yakin is hopeful of. His direct running, pace and incessant willingness to stretch defences could trouble this Argentina unit big time. Switzerland have other weapons -- Granit Xhaka's passing ability, Breel Embolo's presence in the box, Ruben Vargas' and Dan Ndoye's pace on the wings -- but their success could well hinge on 20-year-old Manzambi's fitness.
There's enough steel in Switzerland's midfield and defence to hold Argentina at bay for long stretches, but Manzambi would add a level of counter-attacking threat that would make the defensive unit's job a whole lot easier.