Argentina are back in the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals and they will hope Lionel Messi can inspire them past Switzerland after a major scare against Egypt.
The thrilling comeback, inspired by Messi and finished off by Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner prompted controversial views from Egypt and conspiracy theories.
An emotional Argentina, which saw Lionel Scaloni and Messi both in tears after the last 16, have leant on their iconic No 10, who is in fine form, having reinvented his game and reduced his physical output until the major moments arrive and another is bound to arrive tonight in Kansas City.
But Switzerland are resolute and have overcome penalties against Colombia to be here.
Follow all the latest updates with senior football correspondent Richard Jolly in place at Kansas City’s Arrowhead to see who grabs the final place in the semi-finals:
Read MoreWorld Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane in thrilling race to finish top scorer
Is Argentina vs Switzerland on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch World Cup quarter-final
Why an emotionally-charged Argentina need to win this World Cup more than you might think
Argentina v Switzerland - World Cup 2026 quarter-finals
- Argentina face Switzerland in their World Cup quarter-final tonight | Kick-off at 2am BST, live on ITV1
- Messi aims to continue stunning form, including Golden Boot battle with Mbappe
- Argentina looking for back-to-back titles after victory at Qatar 2022
- Switzerland aiming for first-ever semi-final after escaping quarter-final on penalties vs Colombia
Lionel Messi and reigning World Cup champion Argentina playing for a semifinal spot in Ted Lasso's hometown?
00:40 , Jack RathbornLionel Messi and reigning World Cup champion Argentina playing for a semifinal spot in Ted Lasso's hometown?
You'd better BELIEVE he's paying attention.
The fictional coach of soccer club AFC Richmond — or rather, Jason Sudeikis, who plays the title character on the Apple TV series — was hosting a watch party at CPKC Stadium near downtown Kansas City on Saturday night, when La Albiceleste were playing upstart Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in their quest for back-to-back championships.
The fourth season of the comedy-drama, which has been on hiatus since May 31, 2023, is due to premiere on Aug. 5.
“As much as we've loved football before we got started, I've grown to love it more as we got more immersed in the soccer culture,” said Sudeikis, who grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, and still has a deep affinity for the city. In fact, many of the scenes in the new season of “Ted Lasso” were shot around Kansas City.
That includes riverfront CPKC Stadium, the home of the National Women's Soccer League club Kansas City Current. It's the first of its size built specifically for a women's professional club, and a fitting locale for several thousand people to attend a watch party, given that the new season of “Ted Lasso” will focus on the newly formed AFC Richmond women's team.
It was a concept that the character Keeley Jones — played by the award-winning Juno Temple — subtly pitched at the end of the third season, when it was still unclear whether “Ted Lasso” would return for another run.
“It feels like a perfect moment to be talking about women's football, and representing it — not that I play, obviously,” said Temple, who sported a teal Kansas City Current jersey Saturday. “So that's first and foremost. I hope that's something people really treasure. And I also hope people enjoy the journey each of the characters are going on.”
Argentina fans take over Kansas City before quarter-final v Switzerland
00:30 , Jack Rathborn
Kansas City brings curtain down on World Cup festival
00:21 , Jack RathbornAs Kansas City prepared to bring the curtain down on its World Cup on Saturday, local organisers were already reflecting on a month that put the Midwestern city on the global stage.
Kansas City has been host to six `games including a round-of-16 match and Saturday's quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. But the tournament's legacy will be measured as much by the supporters who adopted the city as their temporary home.
The city welcomed large followings from several nations, including Algeria, whose fans spilled across neighbouring Lawrence, Kansas, where the North African team made their base camp. A sea of Netherlands orange marched through downtown streets before turning parts of the city centre into a Dutch carnival.
Supporters from Argentina, Switzerland, Colombia and `others packed fan zones, bars and public squares over the past month, transforming the self-styled "Soccer Capital of America" into a meeting place for the world and giving residents a rare chance to experience the World Cup's unique blend of sport, culture `and community on their own doorstep. "The last month has been very special for Kansas City to have a chance to be on the international stage," Clark Hunt, honorary co-chair of the KC 2026 board and chairman and CEO of the Chiefs, told reporters.
"Getting to see fans from all around the world coming to Kansas City to cheer on their teams ... has been amazing." Hunt said he hoped the city would have the chance to welcome the tournament back one day.
"If we have the opportunity to bid, we'll do it," he said. For KC 2026 Chief Executive Pam Kramer, the tournament's legacy will extend beyond football.
"We've proven we can handle the biggest sporting competition in the world," she said, adding that the World Cup had showcased Kansas City as a destination for business, investment and new residents.
Granit Xhaka dreaming of World Cup semi-final for Switzerland
00:05 , Jack Rathborn“It's going to be a highlight of my career, indeed," Xhaka said. "Every moment when you can do something that special, it feels different
"When you're in the quarter-final, you don't really care about the weather," Xhaka said. "There are no excuses."
"Now after 72 years, to be able to be here with Switzerland and to play against the reigning champions, it just makes me very proud.
"But I am not here to talk. I want to take the next steps, and we're very close to the end. I am yearning for it, I am hungry and now we just need to show how much we really want it on the pitch."
"It's not going to be revenge. This is a completely different match. Now we are in the quarter-final, and we want to win. This is our overarching aim.
“Regarding (Swiss) fans: keep dreaming. I am a person who always dreams, and dreams can come true. If we want to fulfil our dreams, you need to work, you need to sweat, you need to push your limits if you want to beat Argentina."
Switzerland finalise preparation for Argentina quarter-final
23:55 , Jack Rathborn
How do you stop Lionel Messi?
23:45 , Jack RathbornYakin suggested the best way to limit Messi's influence was to deny him possession altogether. "When we have the ball, then he won't be able to act as much," he said. "We just try to play our game and not allow him to play the ball. "There are many solutions, and we try to find the best solution. Tomorrow, on the pitch, we will perform as a unit. We will try to play good passes, press high against an Argentinian team, the reigning champions."
Xhaka on Argentina challenge
23:35 , Jack Rathborn"We cannot influence what people say about us," Xhaka told reporters on Friday. "The only thing we can do is we can perform and show what we can do on the pitch. Nothing else matters."
Swiss without injured Manzambi for Argentina quarter-final, Yakin says
23:25 , Jack RathbornSwitzerland will be without leading scorer Johan Manzambi for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, coach Murat Yakin said on Friday, dealing a blow to the Swiss as they prepare to face the reigning champions in Kansas City.
Manzambi, who has three goals and two `assists at the tournament, also missed Switzerland's penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the last 16 after suffering a knee injury, and Yakin said the midfielder had failed to recover in time. "We tried everything that we could to get him back, unfortunately, he's unable to perform tomorrow," Yakin said."Johan Manzambi is in a lot of pain. It was a shock to all of us. This momentum was on his side, and there is so `much joy when he plays football."
Discovering what Lionel Messi means to Argentina fans as the footballing icon makes World Cup history
23:15 , Jack RathbornArtists restore gigantic Messi mural in his hometown
23:05 , Jack RathbornLionel Messi has had a fresh lick of paint.
"We called the mural 'From another galaxy' but in reality he's a human like us, who had to deal with a lot of challenges from childhood, who was born among humble working people, who rose above it," said Lisandro Urteaga, one of the artists.
A 534-square-meter (5,748-square-foot) mural on the side of a building in `downtown Rosario, his hometown in Argentina, has been restored and inaugurated just in time for the top-scoring forward's World Cup quarter-final `match against Switzerland. The restoration of the mural, which was originally painted in 2021, needed 300 litres (79 gallons) of paint, said Marlene Zuriaga, one of the project directors.The work, titled "From another galaxy and from my city," also now boasts three stars on the giant Messi's jersey badge, one for each of Argentina's three World Cup wins, and the word "Gracias!" ("Thank you!") at the `top. Global superstar Messi, now 39, became the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer during this tournament. But he got his start in football at local Rosario team Newell's Old Boys.
Lionel Scaloni highlights Swiss strength as tough challenge for Argentina
22:55 , Jack Rathborn"There are no easy rivals, we all know that," Scaloni said.
"They are a very good team. They compete with the best national teams and always come through. They may win or lose, but they always compete. They have World Cup tradition, experienced players and are physically strong."
'A machine': Scaloni not surprised by Messi's form at 39
22:45 , Jack Rathborn"Leo runs more or less the same in every match," Scaloni said. "Physically, it's true that he has done preparation work with his fitness coach and it has paid off, but in terms of numbers I don't know if he has changed that much."
"What is clear is that he's giving everything he has. When he gives everything he has and senses that he can create danger, he is a machine," the coach `added. Scaloni said those expecting age to catch up with Messi did not know the player well enough."It doesn't surprise me," he said.
"Maybe people who don't know him expected that at 39 he wouldn't be at this level, but I don't know how many times I've said it: as long as he wants to, he will be the best. I think that, and not because I'm his coach."
Argentine icon Antonio Rattín dies, aged 84
22:35 , Jack RathbornArgentine Antonio Rattín, a former Boca Juniors player whose act of defiance while representing Argentina at the 1966 World Cup helped lead to the introduction of yellow and red cards, has died, the country’s football federation said Saturday. He was 84.
Rattín died in Buenos Aires, according to the Argentine Football Association, or AFA, which expressed its “deepest sorrow at the passing of a historic symbol of Boca Juniors and the national team,” with whom he played in two World Cups.
A defensive midfielder known for his physical, hard-tackling style, Rattín won six Argentine league titles with Boca Juniors and was a Copa Libertadores runner-up in 1963.
“Rattín was one of us and loved these colours so much that they were the only ones he chose to defend throughout his 14-year career. A leader, an Argentine and forever a Bostero,” the club said.
With Argentina, Rattín played at the 1962 World Cup in Chile and the 1966 tournament in England, and also finished runner-up in the Copa América twice.
Argentina train ahead of Switzerland quarter-final
22:25 , Jack Rathborn
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane in thrilling race to finish top scorer
22:15 , Jack Rathborn1. Kylian Mbappe (France), 8 goals, (3 assists)
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 8 goals (1 assist)
3. Erling Haaland (Norway), 7 goals (0 assists)
4. Harry Kane (England), 6 goals (1 assist)
5. Ousmane Dembele (France), 5 goals (2 assists)
= 6. Vinicius Jr (Brazil), 4 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), 4 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), 4 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Julian Quinones (Mexico), 4 goals (1 assist)
Why Lionel Messi can’t lead Argentina to win this World Cup (on his own)
22:05 , Jack RathbornTo think the phrase was coined about a Barcelona side blessed with a range of talents. Messidependencia, an over-reliance on Lionel Messi, has been a supposed thing for years now. And yet, as the man himself is in his 40th year, perhaps never as much of a thing.
As Argentina seek to retain the World Cup 2026, the questions surrounding their candidature are no longer if Messi is too old, but if his supporting cast can provide enough support. The burden of proof is on the other 10; or, in these days of supersized squads, the other 25.
Why Lionel Messi can’t lead Argentina to win this World Cup (on his own)
Why an emotionally-charged Argentina need to win this World Cup more than you might think
21:55 , Jack RathbornWho wants this World Cup the most?
Hard to say, isn’t it?
Who needs this World Cup the most?
Well, that’s quite plainly Argentina.
Why emotionally-charged Argentina need to win World Cup more than you might think
Argentina v Switzerland - World Cup 2026 quarter-finals
21:45 , Jack RathbornGood evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Argentina v Switzerland in the final World Cup 2026 quarter-final.
Lionel Messi is back and hoping to continue his outstanding form, which has seen him sit level on goals with Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
Switzerland held their nerve on penalties against Colombia and have remained under the radar throughout the tournament.
Follow all the build-up to the game, which follows Norway v England.
