Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Switzerland and Argentina have advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, winning their respective last 16 fixtures on Tuesday night.
Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw in Vancouver, while Argentina overturned a 0-2 deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta.
Although both Switzerland and Colombia had plenty of chances to settle the score in the regulation 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time, the two teams were tied even after 120 minutes of play.
Ruben Vargas fired home the winning penalty to take Switzerland to Colombia. Earlier, Switzerland keeper Kobel saved Cucho Hernandez’s penalty, while Colombia’s Davinson Sanchez’s penalty hit the crossbar. Manuel Akanji missed his penalty for Switzerland.
Switzerland will now meet Argentina in the quarterfinal on Saturday.
Argentina 3-2 Egypt
Earlier, Argentina scored three goals in the closing 25 minutes of the match to stun Egypt, who were 2-0 up for nearly 80 minutes.
Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko scored for Egypt in either half of the match to put the African side in a commanding position.
However, Curtis Romero scored in the 79th minute of the match to spark Argentina’s fightback. Lionel Messi equalized five minutes later to take his 2026 World Cup tally to eight before Enzo Fernández scored the equalizer in the 92nd minute.
Quarterfinal Fixtures
France vs Morocco – Thursday
Spain vs Belgium – Friday
Norway vs England – Saturday
Argentina vs Switzerland – Sunday
