For the first time in 12 years, no South American teams will contest the Football World Cup semi-finals. With the departure of Uruguay and Brazil on the first day of quarter-finals in Russia, six teams now remain in contention - none from south of the Equator and all from Europe. And none are the reigning European champions. France continued to gather momentum into the final four with their easy win over Uruguay, while Belgium ended the hopes (and theatrics) of five-time champions Brazil to set up a semi-final showdown between continental neighbours.<doc-sep>The quarter-finals of the World Cup will feature several heavyweights and a couple of surprise packages in the form of host nation Russia, a team that was written off by pretty much everyone before the start of the tournament. The quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 are scheduled to be played in Russia on 6 and 7 June. Four matches will be played between the top eight teams. Uruguay will take on France, Belgium will play Brazil, England will face Sweden and host nation Russia will be up against Croatia. The winners of these match ups will meet in the semi-final on 10 and 11 July and the last two teams will play the final on 15 July. The match to decide third place will be held on 14 July. The FIFA World Cup 2018 round of 16 was packed with exciting fixtures, shock defeats and had more than its fair share of drama. Beginning with Argentina's exit against France in a seven-goal thriller, in which the lightning-quick French youngster Kylian Mbappe announced himself on the global stage. In the second match of the round, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal came up short against a miserly Uruguayan defence, with a brace from Edinson Cavani sealing victory for the South Americans. A determined Russian side denied the 2010 World Cup winners – Spain – a place in the last eight. Hosts, Russia had an impressive run in group stage by thrashing Saudi Arabia and winning convincingly against Egypt, but the victory against Spain surpassed expectations. The Russians set up camp outside their own penalty area, denying Spain's creative forces any opportunity to work their magic, and trumped Spain on penalties, with goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev making a couple of stunning saves. Penalties decided a number of matches in the round, with Croatia and England also needing spot kicks to qualify for the quarter-finals at the expense of Denmark and Colombia. Luka Modric missed a penalty during extra time, but the Real Madrid midfielder made no mistakes during the shootout, with the Croats going through. The encounter between England and Colombia was another nail-biting affair, with English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford pulling off an astounding save to help his team proceed to the next round on penalties. Brazil cruised to a victory over Mexico, with Neymar and Roberto Firmino scoring from swift and devastating counter-attacks. Mexico flattered to deceive after a promising start to their campaign, in which they beat defending champions Germany in their opening match. Sweden and Switzerland played out a closely contested encounter in the Saint Petersburg arena, where the Swiss were unable to capitalise on their superior possession and were eliminated by a well-organised Swedish side. Perhaps the most dramatic match of the round was Belgium's 3-2 victory over Japan, in which the Europeans came back from a two goal deficit before cruelly snatching victory in the dying embers of regular time via the boot of one Nacer Chadli. The quarter-finals of the World Cup promises to be just as exciting as the round of 16, with some sumptuous fixtures in store. The clash between Belgium and Brazil looks particularly mouthwatering, as Eden Hazard and Co take on Neymar's Canarinhos in a battle of the heavyweights. An unstoppable force will collide with an immovable object when the free-flowing attack of France meets the unwavering defence of Uruguay in an enthralling contest. Russia and Sweden look like outright underdogs in their match ups, but Croatia and England will take them lightly at their own peril, with both teams showing that they have the steel and determination to cause major upsets. Here's a look at when and where the matches of the quarter-finals will be played: Quarter-finals Friday, 6 July Uruguay vs France - Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod - 7.30 pm IST (Match 57) Brazil vs Belgium - Kazan Arena, Kazan - 11.30 pm IST (Match 58) Saturday, 7 July Sweden vs England - Samara Arena, Samara - 7.30 pm IST (Match 60) Russia vs Croatia - Fisht Stadium, Sochi - 11.30 pm IST (Match 59) Click here for full coverage of FIFA World Cup 2018 Click here to view the full schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018<doc-sep>The knockout stages move on to the last eight at Russia 2018 and we’ve got everything you need to know<doc-sep>
FIFA World Cup 2018 quarter-final fixtures will be played on July 6 and 7, 2018 | Photo Credit: AP, File Image FIFA World Cup 2018 has been one thrilling journey so far. The quadrennial event has produced more ups and downs than one can handle. Big teams, held as title favourites, like Argentina, Portugal and Spain were sent packing while journey for Belgium, the so-called dark horse, to the quarterfinal stage was also no cakewalk. One of the biggest moments from the Round of 16 came when Russia, the hosts, held on Spain 1-1, till the end of regulation and extra time and before beating them 4-3 on penalties. France dumped Lionel Messi-led Argentina in a high scoring thriller (4-3) while Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal was ousted by Uruguay 1-2. Neymar, on the other hand, produced an upbeat performance where he scored one and helped in the other goal to blank Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16 clash. Belgium barely escaped from Japan's grip as after the scoreboard was locked at 2-2 it was only the injury-time goal from Nacer Chadli which ensured Red Devil's last-8 berth. England who looked like cruising to the quarterfinals after Harry Kane's penalty kick in the 57th minute were dragged to extra time as Yerry Mina scored an equaliser in the injury time. After a strenuous extra time 1-1 deadlock, England finally prevailed over Colombia beating them in penalty shootout 4-3. QUARTERFINALS Uruguay vs France, Friday, 06.07.2018, 7:30 PM IST, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium Brazil vs Belgium, Friday, 06.07.2018, 11:30 PM IST, Kazan Arena Russia vs Croatia, Saturday, 07.07.2018, 11:30 PM IST, Fisht Stadium Sweden vs England, Saturday, 07.07.2018, 07:30 PM IST, Samara Arena It will be hard to predict who can be in the FIFA World Cup 2018 semifinal but one can always keep their calendars marked as when these important clashes are happening and where. The first semifinal will be played on Tuesday, July 10, at Saint Petersburg Stadium while the other semifinal is slotted for Wednesday, July 11, at Luzhniki Stadium. While the third-place playoff is scheduled for Saturday, July 14, at Saint Petersburg Stadium the final of the FIFA World Cup 2018 will be held on Sunday, July 15, at Luzhniki Stadium.