The main “surprisingly contenders” at the stage of the 1/4 finals of the FIFA World Cup (2026 World Cup) can be considered the teams of Belgium and Switzerland, sports expert and author of the YouTube channel “Ball Production” Dmitry Panferov said in an interview with RTVI. The specialist classified the possible elimination of France in the match with the Moroccan team as a “small surprise”, since, in his opinion, the African team has been steadily developing in recent years.
The match between France and Morocco in the quarter finals of the 2026 World Cup will take place on Thursday, July 9, at the stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. At the last World Cup, the teams played in the semi-finals and France then advanced and then lost to Argentina in the final.
“Morocco are a very strong, organized team, but their passage would potentially be a bit of a surprise. Am I waiting for him? Most likely, no, because the attack of the French team cannot be contained by sensible means,” Panferov explained.
Panferov added that in general, at the 2026 tournament, the eight best teams in the world actually made it to the quarterfinals, and in the upcoming matches we can only talk about “mini-favorites.”
According to the expert, the greatest sensations are possible in the matches Belgium – Spain and Switzerland – Argentina. Panferov noted that he likes the play of both underdogs in these pairs and added that the Argentine series of 3:2 matches will have to end someday. With this score, Lionel Messi's side had previously beaten Egypt and Cape Verde in their previous two knockout matches. She won the last world championship with him.
“On the one hand, it’s a beautiful story for Lionel Messi, but fundamentally the Argentina team at this World Cup shows that it is a rather vulnerable team,” the specialist emphasized.
In the final of the 2026 World Cup, Panferov will face the teams of France and England. According to him, the new coach of the English national team, Thomas Tuchel, “knocked out the dryness” that was previously characteristic of the team under the leadership of Gareth Southgate.
“The France-England confrontation has more historical implications than France-Norway, although it would be interesting due to the duel between Erling Holland and Kylian Mbappe,” added the RTVI interlocutor.
