Quarter-Final 4 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 takes place on Sunday 12 July 2026 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The winners advance to Semi-Final 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday 15 July. It is the last of four quarter-finals played over four consecutive days in the United States.
What is the FIFA World Cup Quarter-Final?
The quarter-finals are the round that reduces the World Cup bracket from eight teams to four. At the 2026 World Cup, the first in the expanded 48-team format, every team reaching the last eight will have already played six matches across the group stage, Round of 32 and Round of 16. Two further victories from this point take a team into the Final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July.
Each quarter-final is a single-elimination match. Thirty minutes of extra time are played if the teams are level after 90 minutes, followed by a penalty shootout. Five substitutes are permitted, VAR is in operation, and goal-line technology and semi-automated offside detection are used throughout.
When is the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-Final?
Quarter-Final 4 kicks off at 16:00 Central Time on Sunday 12 July 2026, which is 17:00 Eastern, 22:00 BST, 23:00 CEST, 14:00 on the US West Coast and 06:00 on Monday 13 July in Tokyo. The four quarter-finals are played in sequence from 9 to 12 July at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and here at Arrowhead Stadium.
Where is the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-Final?
The match is being played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1972, Arrowhead is the home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and is widely regarded as one of the loudest stadiums in American sport: it twice set the Guinness World Record for the loudest outdoor stadium crowd, reaching 142.2 decibels in September 2014. Capacity stands at around 76,416 and for the World Cup the venue operates with a temporary natural grass pitch installed over the usual artificial surface.
Arrowhead has previously hosted international football friendlies and Concacaf Gold Cup matches, as well as college football and MLS All-Star Games. It is one of 11 US venues hosting matches at the 2026 World Cup, with six matches at the stadium in total: group-stage games, a Round of 32 tie, a Round of 16 match and this quarter-final. Kansas City International Airport is around 30 minutes from the stadium.
Key Contenders
The two teams meeting in Kansas City will be confirmed by the Round of 16 matches on 7 and 8 July. Until then, likely quarter-finalists include defending champions Argentina, 2022 runners-up France, five-time winners Brazil, European champions Spain, four-time winners Germany, and England, semi-finalists eight years ago. Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Croatia are also capable of reaching the last eight, and the three host nations all enjoy home advantage through the knockout rounds.
The 2022 quarter-finalists at Qatar 2022 were Argentina, France, Croatia, Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Brazil and England. Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final and went on to finish fourth.
How to Watch
The quarter-final is on free-to-air television in most major markets. BBC or ITV carries the match in the United Kingdom, with live streaming on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. FOX has the English-language broadcast in the United States, with Telemundo and Peacock on Spanish. TSN and CTV share rights in Canada and RDS covers the French feed. TelevisaUnivision and TV Azteca share rights in Mexico, SBS has the free-to-air match in Australia with Optus Sport streaming, TF1 and beIN Sports share France, ARD and ZDF rotate in Germany, and beIN Sports holds exclusive rights across the Middle East and North Africa.
History and Records
World Cup quarter-finals have produced some of the most famous moments in the history of the tournament. The 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England at the Estadio Azteca is the most well-known of all, featuring Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal and “Goal of the Century” within four minutes. Brazil beat Poland 5-2 at the Maracana in 1950 in front of the largest quarter-final crowd in history.
Penalty shootouts have played a defining role in more recent editions. The Netherlands beat Costa Rica on penalties in 2014 after Tim Krul was introduced as a shootout substitute. Russia eliminated Spain in 2018, and Argentina beat Netherlands in Qatar in 2022 in a match that Argentina led 2-0 before an 83rd-minute Wout Weghorst goal sparked a Dutch comeback. Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 in Doha that same year to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.
Tickets and Attendance
Tickets are allocated through FIFA.com, with On Location supplying official hospitality packages. Category 4 seats reserved for residents of the three host nations started at around 655 US dollars for the quarter-finals, with Category 1 seats from approximately 1,560 dollars. Demand across all four quarter-finals has been consistently high and the match is expected to be effectively sold out. Late inventory is released through FIFA’s fan-to-fan resale platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final kick off?
Quarter-Final 4 kicks off at 16:00 Central Time on Sunday 12 July 2026, which is 22:00 BST.
Where is the quarter-final being held?
Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
How can I watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final?
BBC or ITV in the UK, FOX and Telemundo in the United States, TSN and CTV in Canada, and free-to-air broadcasters in most major markets.
What happens if the match is a draw?
Thirty minutes of extra time, followed by a penalty shootout if still level.