England-Norway, Argentina-Switzerland World Cup quarterfinal odds, best bets: Hand of God rematch incoming? – The New York Times

As the 2026 World Cup nears its conclusion, Saturday is the last day with multiple matches. For weeks, we were treated to marathons of World Cup action, but after Saturday, it will be just one game at a time.

Enjoy this final busy day.

England, coming off its emotional and likely draining win in Mexico, takes on Norway, led by trending superstar Erling Haaland. Then Argentina’s crazy run takes another step against a Switzerland team that has proven to be tough to score on.

If England and Argentina win, we would see a rematch of an all-time World Cup classic when Diego Maradona scored two of the most memorable goals in 1986.

Here’s a look at the storylines and odds for both matches plus some picks from our betting staff.

Norway-England

Time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.

Both these teams are coming off arguably the two most impressive wins of the round of 16. Norway beat Brazil, which is noteworthy no matter what version of Brazil it is. England beat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, something almost no one does in competitive matches.

England expected to be here. The Three Lions have been among the top several favorites to win the tournament since before it started.

Gone is the era when England was a non-factor at the Euros and disappointed at World Cups. The Three Lions have made at least the final eight in the last three World Cups and were runners-up at each of the last two European Championships. For all of that sustained success, there is still no trophy to show for it.

For Norway, this World Cup has already surpassed the wildest expectations. Haaland has starred, going beyond what most would expect even of him with seven goals in four matches. The Vikings not only got out of the group and won a knockout match, but then beat Brazil to make their first World Cup quarterfinal.

This team has nothing to lose and is playing with freedom and confidence. That’s a scary combination.

Good vibes aren’t enough for Norway to be favored, though. England is -215 on DraftKings and -230 on FanDuel to advance, implying the Three Lions are just shy of 70 percent to make the semifinals.

Argentina-Switzerland

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

What could Argentina possibly do next?

After cruising through the group stage, La Albiceleste played arguably the match of the tournament against Cape Verde in the round of 32 and then had one of the most remarkable comebacks in World Cup history against Egypt in the round of 16.

Despite that drama, it would still be a major shock for Argentina to fail to get past Switzerland. Lionel Messi’s team is -325 on FanDuel and -310 on DraftKings, giving Argentina a better than 75 percent chance of advancing.

While Messi remains the driving force for this team, assisting the first goal against Egypt and scoring the tying goal four minutes later, it would be interesting to see what happens if Argentina gets another penalty kick. Messi missed one and had another saved, which makes his spot atop the Golden Boot race even more remarkable. Will manager Lionel Scaloni make a switch for the team’s penalty taker or hope Messi figures it out?

Switzerland is in its first World Cup quarterfinal since hosting in 1954. By beating Colombia on penalties, the Swiss snapped a streak of five straight defeats in the round of 16 dating back to 1994.

This year’s team has been stout defensively with shutouts in both knockout matches. Switzerland hasn’t allowed multiple goals in a match yet. Argentina has scored multiple goals in every match. The odds solidly favor under 2.5 goals, implying that Switzerland’s defensive prowess may win out over Argentina’s proclivity for playing bonkers matches.

Best bets

Mike Hume: Haaland to score in 90 mins, +117 (DraftKings)

Haaland is on a tear (is he ever not?) and it feels like he might push Norway through to the semis through sheer strength of will. Of course, strength of will doesn’t actually count on the scoresheet, so I predict he’ll help Norway with a goal as well.

Dan Santaromita: Argentina-Switzerland over 2.5 goals, +126 (FanDuel)

I don’t think Argentina is capable of playing a normal match at this point. Yes, Switzerland has a solid defense and just played two hours of 0-0 against Colombia, but I think Argentina’s madness wins out against the Swiss defense.

Dean Jones: Argentina 2-1 Switzerland, +850 (bet365)

Argentina may have scraped through the past two games, but in every match so far they have scored at least two goals. Switzerland have not faced an elite-level attack yet, and this is an extreme test of their capabilities. Given the fashion of their tournament so far, I fancy Argentina might face a scare at some stage … but they should still steal it to book a place in the semifinals.

Vik Chokshi: Norway-England over 2.5, -135 (DraftKings), Argentina-Switzerland both teams to score (yes), +110 (DraftKings)

Saturday’s slate features two epic battles and multiple superstars, so I’m excited to just root for goals.

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