The 2022 World Cup is in full swing and we have reached the later stages of the tournament, which is when the real fun begins. Right now, we have quarter finals ahead of us and all four pairs can give us some very interesting matches.
Netherlands
USA
Argentina
2
Australia
1
Japan
1 (1)
Croatia
1 (3)
Brazil
4
South Korea
1
England
3
Senegal
0
France
3
Poland
1
Morocco
0 (3)
Spain
0 (0)
Portugal
6
Switzerland
1
Upcoming
Argentina
Croatia
1 (4)
Brazil
1 (2)
England
1
France
2
Morocco
1
Portugal
0
Upcoming
Croatia
France
2
Morocco
0
Upcoming
France
With that in mind, we decided to take a closer look at the WC 2022 quarter final fixtures and possible outcomes. So, keep reading to learn more about the games and to see our predictions regarding the potential semi finals in Qatar.
Contents
Schedule for the World Cup Quarter Final Fixtures
As we’ve mentioned above, the quarter final fixtures will be played on December 9th and December 10th, with two matches played on each date – one in the afternoon and one in the evening slot.
So, we shall now take a better look at each quarter final fixture separately and present you with all the information about them that you need to know, including kick off times, venues, and odds.
Match 1: Croatia vs Brazil
Kickoff Time: Friday, December 9th, 15:00 UK, 16:00 CET
Venue: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV: BBC One
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Odds (Taken From Ladbrokes):
Croatia – 17/2 (9.50)
Draw – 4/1 (5.00)
Brazil – 4/11 (1.36)
Croatia vs Brazil Prediction
While Croatia is the reigning vice-champion of the world, they weren't among the favourites to win this tournament and they are the biggest outsider of all remaining teams in the competitions, except maybe Morocco, who incidentally finished ahead of them in group stages.
Meanwhile, Brazil is the main favourite to go all the way and they had an impressive showing against South Korea in the Round of 16, beating them 4-1, unlike Croatia who had to go to penalties against Japan. All in all, Brazil is the clear favourite here and we expect them to justify that.
Match 2: Netherlands vs Argentina
Kickoff Time: Friday, December 9th, 19:00 UK, 20:00 CET
Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV: BBC One
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Odds (Taken From Coral):
Netherlands – 5/2 (3.50)
Draw – 11/5 (3.20)
Argentina – 5/4 (2.25)
Netherlands vs Argentina Prediction
After the initial struggles and a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina showed why they were the second favourite behind Brazil to win this World Cup by beating Mexico, Poland, and then Australia in the Round of 16.
However, the Netherlands also showed a lot during the tournament and they they won all of their games so far, except for their draw with Ecuador in second round. The Netherlands also had a tougher opponent in the last stage, but they easily sent the USA home. This will be a very close game, but we can see Argentina going through.
Match 3: Morocco vs Portugal
Kickoff Time: Saturday, December 10th, 15:00 UK, 16:00 CET
Venue: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
TV: ITV 1
Referee: TBD
Odds (Taken From Stake):
Morocco – 9/2 (5.50)
Draw – 5/2 (3.50)
Portugal – 3/4 (1.75)
Morocco vs Portugal Prediction
After impressive run of games in Qatar so far, Morocco has a chance to become the first African team to reach the semi finals of a World Cup in history and given the fact that they finished ahead of Croatia and Belgium in group stages before eliminating Spain in Round of 16, they certainly have reasons to be optimistic.
On the other hand, Portugal enters this match after sublime performance against Switzerland. In what many expected to be a close game, Portugal dominated from the start and won the game 6-1, lead by a hat-trick from Benfica's promising striker Goncalo Ramos. Morocco is a team to be respected, but Portugal is looking like the team to beat right now and we expect them to reach the semi finals.
Match 4: England vs France
Kickoff Time: Saturday, December 10th, 19:00 UK, 20:00 CET
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
TV: ITV
Referee: TBD
Odds (Taken From William Hill):
England – 21/10 (3.10)
Draw – 21/10 (3.10)
France – 7/5 (2.25)
England vs France Prediction
Another very interesting duel and the last game to be played in the quarter finals is the meeting between England and France, two teams that pretty much cruised to this stage and scored plenty of goals along the way.
France, as the defending champion, clearly has a bit of advantage in this match, but given what we saw from both teams so far, we wouldn't be surprised if England ends up winning the game. That being said, we feel that a draw is the most realistic outcome and that the winner win be decided in overtime or even after penalties.
Most Memorable World Cup Quarter Finals in History
Even though the quarter finals were not a part of every World Cup in history (some of them went to another group stage and then semi finals), there have been some memorable quarter finals that are still living as a part of the football lore and will be remembered for generations.
West Germany 3-2 England, World Cup 1970 in Mexico
Before FIFA decided to scrap the quarter finals in favor of another group stage, which was the case until 1986 World Cup in Mexico, we had one of the most memorable quarter finals in history.
England was hoping to bring the trophy home and their 2-0 lead over West Germany led many to believe that the game is over and that England will go to the semi finals. However, West Germany managed to get back into the game and send it to overtime, where a goal by Gerd Muller eliminated the English team from the tournament.
Argentina 2-1 England, World Cup 1986 in Mexico
Another quarter-finals classic was played in Mexico in 1986, at the first World Cup in which the quarter finals came back onto the scene. Argentina and England met at the Azteca Stadium in front of 100,000 fans, eager to see their team in the next stage.
Both teams certainly had reasons to hope to get there, but it was the faithful day for Maradona. After a scoreless first half, Maradona first scored the infamous goals dubbed the “Hand of God”. Only a few minutes after, Maradona scored again, this time the goal that's remembered as one of the greatest in history, the so-called “Goal of the Century”. England managed to score one goal before the game was over, but the Argentinians went through and later won the title.
Netherlands 2-1 Argentina, World Cup 1998 in France
Two teams that will meet in the quarter finals in Qatar probably still remember their duel in the same stage at World Cup in France, back in 1998. Two quick goals in first half by each of the teams saw us move to the second half with the game wide open.
It seemed that we are destined for overtime when Arthur Numan was sent off, which gave Argentina the edge. However, that didn't' last long since Ariel Ortega was also sent off ten minutes later, bringing equality to the pitch again. And then, right out of nowhere, Dennis Bergkamp received a long ball from deep into the Netherlands' side of the field, managed to tame it, and score perhaps the most famous goal of his career, right at the very end of the game.
Uruguay 1-1 (4-2 pen.) Ghana, World Cup 2010 in South Africa
Many years after Maradona's Hand of God, we saw another one. It was the first-ever World Cup played in Africa and we were so close to seeing an African team in the semi finals for the first time in football history. However, Luiz Suarez and his hands prevented this.
Uruguay and Ghana played a close game and the result was 1-1 heading into the last minutes of the game. But then, Ghana had a massive chance – goalkeeper was already beaten and the ball was going right into the net, only to be stopped by Suarez's handball. The striker was sent off, Ghana received a penalty that would send them to the semi finals, and Asamoah Gyan failed to convert it, sending the ball well over the bar. Uruguay managed to hold in extra time despite being a man down and, in the end, secure their place in the semi finals after winning on penalties.
FAQs on the World Cup Quarter Final Fixtures
What times will the games be played in the UK?
Qatar is three hours ahead of the UK, so the local kick-off times quoted here are three hours ahead of what they will be in the UK. For example, a 6 PM local time kick-off would actually be a 3 PM kick-off in the UK.
Can I wager on the quarter-final games at the World Cup?
Absolutely. Since the actual fixtures are known in terms of which teams will be playing for a while now, you can bet on the matches. Major bookies will have plenty of markets for this stage, probably more 100+ markets for each game.
Are the teams you’ve mentioned here guaranteed to be playing?
Yes. The Round of 16 is complete and the winners of those matches have secured their place in the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Once the quarters have been played, how long is it to the semis?
The two semi-final matches will be played on December 13th and 14th, respectively.
