Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: How the Blues fared in the quarter-finals | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals concluded on July 12, with four nations advancing to the next knockout stage of the competition.

The tournament commenced with Manchester City having one of the largest representations in terms of club football, with 18 players from the Premier League giants representing 12 different nations.

As the competition progressed, the group stage ended with 17 City stars across 11 nations qualifying for the first knockout stage, followed by 11 of them across seven nations making it to the Round of 16.

The Round of 16 concluded the 2026 World Cup journey for three Manchester City players, Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes (Portugal), and Omar Marmoush (Egypt), while eight of their clubmates across five nations advanced to the quarter-finals.

Here’s how Manchester City players have performed in the World Cup quarter-finals:

France vs Morocco

France secured a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-final at Boston Stadium on July 9.

Les Blues were awarded a penalty after Kylian Mbappe drew a foul committed by Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui in the 18-yard box. However, the 27-year-old was unable to find the back of the net with the spot kick in the 28th minute.

Following a goalless first half, Mbappe opened the scoring for France in the 60th minute after being set up by Desire Doue.

The French captain then went on to assist Les Blues’ second goal of the match, netted by Ousmane Dembele in the 66th minute.

Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki was named on the bench and remained an unused substitute in the match.

Spain vs Belgium

Spain bagged a 2-1 win against Belgium in the quarter-final at Los Angeles Stadium on July 10.

The match saw Manchester City teammates Rodri and Jeremy Doku pitted against each other after being named in the starting squads of their respective nations.

Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for La Roja in the 30th minute, followed by Charles De Ketelaere netting the equaliser for the Red Devils in the 41st minute from Timothy Castagne’s assist with a cross.

While the second half started with the scores tied, Mikel Merino scored the winning goal for Spain in the 88th minute.

Rodri was on the pitch for the entirety of the match, maintaining a pass accuracy of 94% while being involved in two key passes. The Spanish captain had a total of 118 touches, four defensive contributions, two clearances, and also won 2 (2) ground duels.

As for Belgium, Doku was involved in one key pass, completed 10 (5) successful dribbles, and won 22 (11) ground duels during his full 90 minutes on the pitch.

Norway vs England

Norway suffered a 1-2 defeat against England in the quarter-final at Miami Stadium on July 11.

Andreas Schjelderup took the lead for Norway with a left-footed shot in the 36th minute after being set up by Martin Odegaard.

Jude Bellingham found the equaliser for England from an assist by Anthony Gordon in the second minute of the first half’s stoppage time.

After the score was tied at the end of 90 minutes, the 23-year-old midfielder found the back of the net again, scoring the winning goal for the Three Lions following a corner in the third minute of extra time.

Erling Haaland had 21 touches and a shot on target while winning 2 (1) ground duels and 4 (3) aerial duels before being replaced by Jorgen Strand Larsen on the pitch in the 106th minute.

Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson were named in Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI for the match.

O’Reilly made four defensive contributions and one clearance while maintaining a pass accuracy of 95%, completing 2 (1) successful dribbles and winning 5 (3) ground duels. The 21-year-old was subbed off for Djed Spence in the 86th minute.

Guehi was on the pitch all through extra time, making four defensive contributions, three clearances and winning 4 (1) aerial duels. He had a total of 95 touches and maintained a pass accuracy of 92%.

During his 120 minutes on the pitch, Anderson made 105 touches, five defensive contributions, three clearances, and nine recoveries. The club record signing maintained a pass accuracy of 92% while winning 2 (2) tackles and 5 (2) ground duels.

England’s third-choice goalkeeper and Manchester City graduate James Trafford was named on the bench against Norway.

Which Man City players are in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals?

The conclusion of the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals marked marks the end of the road for two Manchester City players – including Haaland (Norway) and Doku (Belgium).

Prior to the elimination, the Norwegian star was a strong contender in the Golden Boot race, netting five goals in seven matches.

Cherki, alongside the French squad, will face Rodri and La Roja in the semi-final at Dallas Stadium on July 14.

The Three Lions, including O’Reilly, Guehi, Anderson and Trafford, are pitted against Argentina in the penultimate stage of the competition at Atlanta Stadium on July 15.

Overall, six Manchester City stars across three nations have made it to the 2026 World Cup semi-finals. Now, it remains to be seen which among them will advance further in the competition.