Soccer fans … it’s time to plan your watch parties. We have officially reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It’s been a wild ride so far with unexpected upsets like when Saudi Arabia clinched a victory over Lionel Messi and Argentina in the group stage, and when Morocco knocked European powerhouse Spain out of the round of 16 with impressive penalty kicks. Not to mention some insane wins like Portugal’s 6-1 domination over Switzerland in the knockout round and the Netherlands’ victory over Christian Pulisic and the USA in the round of 16.
If you missed any of the action, though it would be a shame if you did, there is no need to fret – because we still have four quarterfinal matchups, two semifinals, a third-place game, and of course – the 2022 World Cup final.
With that, here’s the two-game slate to watch for on Friday as four nations fight to advance to the semifinals:
Quarterfinals: Croatia vs. Brazil
Croatia started its 2022 World Cup journey in Group F alongside Morocco, Canada and Belgium. During the group stage, Croatia’s World Cup opener ended in a 0-0 draw with Morocco, followed by a 4-1 win over Canada and then another 0-0 draw, but this time with Belgium. In the round of 16, the team tied Japan 1-1 and then won via penalty kicks.
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Will it be able to keep up the win streak against Brazil? It’s hard to say.
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Brazil has had quite the performance thus far, too, despite missing key player Neymar for two games due to injury. Brazil started their journey in Group G alongside Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon – beating Serbia 2-0, beating Switzerland 1-0 and losing 1-0 to Cameroon. Yes, you read that right. But Brazil sought redemption when they clinched a 4-1 victory over South Korea in the knockout phase, leading them to their quarterfinal matchup with Croatia.
Will Brazil continue on their journey to the semifinals, like everyone expects, or will Croatia pull off an upset?
Kick-off time is 10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT.
How to watch Croatia vs. Brazil in World Cup quarterfinals
Quarterfinals: Netherlands vs. Argentina
Next up on the schedule is the quarterfinal matchup between the Netherlands and Argentina. The Netherlands began their World Cup journey in Group A alongside host nation Qatar, Ecuador and Senegal. Their first matchup resulted in a 2-0 victory over Senegal, followed by a 1-1 draw with Ecuador and then a 2-0 win over Qatar. In the round of 16, the Netherlands clinched an exciting 3-1 victory over the United States and now the country will take on Lionel Messi and Co.
On the other side, Argentina has had an interesting World Cup path so far – to say the least. The extremely favored team lost their World Cup opener to Saudi Arabia, which immediately started things off wobbly. During the rest of the group stage, the Group C team went on to defeat both Mexico and Poland 2-0. The Albicelestes knocked the Socceroos (Australia) out of the round of 16 after clinching a tight 2-1 victory and now it’s time for Messi to step up to the plate against Andries Noppert between the sticks.
Kick-off time for this matchup is 2 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. PT.
How to watch Netherlands vs. Argentina in World Cup quarterfinals