Argentina to Face Switzerland After Both Advance to World Cup Quarterfinals

Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup on Saturday in Kansas City. The matchup follows a 3-2 round-of-16 victory over Egypt in which Argentina trailed 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining. Lionel Messi scored once and assisted Cristian Romero in the comeback.

He has scored eight goals in five matches at the tournament and holds the all-time World Cup scoring record with 21 goals. Kylian Mbappe leads the Golden Boot race with one more goal after playing an extra game. Messi missed two penalties during the tournament, one against Egypt and one against Austria.

He entered the event after recovering from a muscle strain. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on Friday that Messi maintains consistent running distances across matches. “Leo runs more or less the same in every match,” Scaloni told reporters.

Scaloni added that he would not remove penalty duties from Messi. “It wouldn’t even cross my mind to go and tell him not to [take the next penalty]. Let him do whatever he wants,” he said. Scaloni also stated that Messi would remain the best player for as long as he chooses to continue.

Switzerland reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years by eliminating Colombia on penalties after a 0-0 draw.