The weekend closed the quarterfinal stage of World Cup 2026 — and left one moment that will be argued about for a long time.
England recorded the biggest single-day iGaming market jump of World Cup 2026 — from 19.35% to 24.43% after beating Norway in extra time. Blask World Cup Index tracked the shift in real time: the winning markets gained share the moment the final whistle blew, the eliminated ones lost it on the same day.
Winners grew, eliminated teams dropped — immediately
After the quarterfinals, World Cup Index (WCI) recorded a clear pattern: the winning markets gained share, the eliminated ones lost it on the same day.
The biggest single-day move was the British market. UK-England rose from 19.35% to 24.43% (up 5.08 percentage points), overtaking Spain in the global index: on 11 July Spain held second place at 20.52%; on 12 July it fell to third at 18.57%. Argentina grew marginally — from 11.28% to 11.53% — as the Embolo card controversy kept interest alive even after the final whistle.
Switzerland dropped 1.53 percentage points, Norway 1.47. Audience share leaves with the team — WCI has tracked this pattern from the first matchday.
France holds the dominant position with a 39.24% share, but its lead over the field is narrowing. France, Argentina, Spain and England are the four highest-ranked teams in the world — WCI has been building to this semi-final draw all tournament.
Four matches, four different stories
France — Morocco. A replay of the 2022 World Cup semi-final — with the same result. Mbappé scored his 20th World Cup goal, Dembélé added a second. France controlled the match with no visible effort; Morocco created nothing dangerous.
Spain — Belgium. 1–1 until the 88th minute, despite Spain’s total dominance in possession and shots. The outcome came down to Courtois’s injury: substitute Lammens parried the ball in front of him, and Spain punished it immediately.
England — Norway. The match went to extra time; Bellingham scored twice. The main controversy surrounded England’s equaliser — the ball allegedly touched the spidercam cable above the pitch, but FIFA stated that the ball’s built-in sensor detected no contact. Norway finished their best tournament in 24 years, after beating Brazil in the round of 16.
Argentina — Switzerland. 1–1 until the 72nd minute — then VAR reviewed Embolo’s fall, found no contact with Paredes, and issued him a second yellow for simulation. Was it a dive? Replays say yes — the Swiss were furious, played out the match a man down, and conceded the winner in stoppage time.