The World Cup is finally down to the remaining six countries that still have a chance at winning it all. After today’s quarterfinal matchups between England vs. Norway and Argentina vs. Switzerland, the final four will be fully set.

This has been a dream result for FIFA, with so many top stars still left in the tournament. Mbappé of France, Messi of Argentina, Kane of England, and Haaland of Norway are all vying for the World Cup trophy, the Golden Boot, and MVP honors.

Norway vs. England

The line has tightened since there are so many Norwegians still at the tournament doing “The Row,” and for the sake of their fans, they believe they can do it with shining star Erling Haaland.

The chemistry and timing of his runs, combined with his speed and masterful ability to get into the right spaces, allow Haaland to deliver deadly shots on target in the blink of an eye. All four top goal scorers in the tournament are not only very accurate with their finishing, they all have a super quick delivery. That can only be possible with a smooth first touch on the ball.

Harry Kane is England’s marksman in front of the opposing goal and is extremely good in the air, making every cross, corner, and free kick nerve-racking for opponents.

The most important matchup in this game is the battle between Bellingham of England and Ødegaard of Norway. These two players are the creators of the game and dictate the pace as well. Each of them is in sync with their superstar striker, orchestrating the kind of brilliance that may go down as part of a classic match for the ages.

If there is such a thing as expecting the unexpected, that is what will decide the outcome of this match. The moment could happen at any time, and with one- and two-touch play, three or four quick passes could suddenly direct the ball into the back of the net.

The humidity in Miami gives neither team an advantage. Instead, both are at a disadvantage when it comes to maintaining hydration and focus. Those two hydration breaks may prove to take place at critical and pivotal moments of the match.

The players will leave everything on the pitch as the Norwegian Vikings row into this match looking to dethrone the roar of the Three Lions, claim bragging rights in the north, and lock in their trip to the semifinals.

Pro Paul’s Pick: England advances.

Argentina vs. Switzerland

One would think that, with the game being played in Kansas City, the crowd would be more balanced. But as long as Lionel Messi is in this tournament, there will be light blue and white striped jerseys everywhere in and around the stadium supporting his defending champion Argentina squad.

Switzerland is a nation with a game plan that hopes to accomplish what other countries could not: stop Messi and eliminate Argentina.

Heavily favored and heavily stacked, Argentina will rely on three-player combinations to maneuver through the Swiss and create one-on-one isolated situations to slice and dice through the traffic of Team Nati while creating chances on goal.

Switzerland will rely on precision passing combined with concise, sharp off-the-ball runs to catch the Blue and White defending champions off guard and penetrate past a determined defense.

The Swiss actually have speed, and lots of it, so Argentina must be careful when Switzerland breaks out of a defensive low-block formation looking to counter at blazing speed as a tactical approach to its attack.

With so many skillful players going forward, the Swiss will try to take advantage of the open spaces, forcing Argentina’s offensive stars out of their comfort zones to defend and waste valuable energy chasing instead of being chased.

This is going to be a highly intriguing game. On one side is a team loaded from top to bottom with mega talent and skillful players. On the other is an equally balanced team that prides itself on being a team without any big superstars.

As a matter of fact, Switzerland is the only team left standing without a truly noticeable superstar, which makes this matchup all the more interesting as we wait to see who goes through to the final four.

Argentina has done it before, first surviving a scare against Cape Verde and then getting some unexpected breaks in narrowly defeating Egypt, 3-2.

Pro Paul’s Pick: Argentina advances.

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