Messi and De Paul's Argentina Faces Switzerland the Quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026™
MLS Inter Miami CF

Messi and De Paul's Argentina Faces Switzerland the Quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026™

Published on July 10, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Inter Miami CF News Release


Inter Miami CF duo, captain Leo Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, carry on with their FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaigns with Argentina, as La Albiceleste takes on Switzerland in the Quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11. Kick off at Kansas City Stadium is set for 9 p.m. ET.

Where to Watch

Fans can watch the action live in English on FOX, and in Spanish on Telemundo, Peacock.

Recapping Round of 16 Action

Argentina advanced to the Quarterfinals in epic fashion, with the defending champions securing a thrilling comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 at Atlanta Stadium in the Round of 16.

Messi scored Argentina's second goal in the match and dished out an assist, while De Paul also featured in the team's starting XI. With the goal, Messi reached 21 total World Cup goals to extend his lead as the top scorer in the history of the competition, and eight this edition as he shares the lead in the scoring charts. Notably, his goal made further history, as he also became the first player to score in in six consecutive knockout stage matches, and overall first player to score in nine consecutive matches in the global competition.

Additionally, the match also saw our Club captain reach an unprecedented 31 appearances in FIFA World Cup history.

Switzerland, meanwhile, arrives at the decisive stage after knocking out Colombia in the Round of 16.

Tournament Performance and Head to Head

After initially posting a perfect record in Group J, opening with a 3-0 win over Algeria, followed by defeating Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1, Argentina began the knockout stages with a 3-2 win against Cape Verde in the Round of 16 prior to defeating Egypt.

Switzerland, meanwhile, enters the Quarterfinals stage after knocking out Algeria with a 2-0 result in the Round of 32 and winning 4-3 against Colombia in penalities after a goalless draw in regulation in the Round of 16. Prior to that, the Europeans began their World Cup campaign by winning Group B unnbeaten with two wins and a draw for a total seven points.

The Quarterfinals clash will see the teams meet for an overall eighth time in their history and third at a FIFA World Cup, with Argentina unbeaten to date with five wins and two draws. In their previous bouts at the global tournament, La Albiceleste secured a 2-0 group stage victory in England in 1966, and a 1-0 win in the Round of 16 in the 2014 edition in Brazil.

Messi and De Paul with Argentina

In his historic international career, Messi has guided Argentina to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown, and further cemented his legacy by leading his country to a historic FIFA World Cup title in 2022.

Messi also notably holds the records for most caps (204) and most goals (125) for Argentina, while also holding the international record for most World Cup match appearances (31) and being the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

De Paul, meanwhile, is featuring in a World Cup for a second time after his key role en route to lifting the cup in 2022. El Motorcito was also one of the main figures alongside Messi in La Albiceleste's 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions conquests. In all, the versatile midfielder has earned 91 caps, scoring two times, in his fruitful international career for Argentina.

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