The UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals are set

The GIST: With a thrilling Round of 16 officially done and dusted, here’s a look ahead to this weekend’s four must-see Euro quarter-final (QF) matches. Just heating up.

Expect powerhouse clashes on Friday: The Fourth of July is for hot dogs, but the fifth of July is for the big dogs, starting with No. 8 Spain vs. No. 16 Germany at 12 p.m. ET. Expect fireworks from the two highest scoring teams in the tourney, but the fluid Spaniards will have their hands full taking down the Germans in front of a roaring home crowd.

• Then at 3 p.m. ET, it’s No. 6 Portugal against No. 2 France, a thrilling intergenerational clash pitting 39-year-old Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo against 25-year-old wunderkind Kylian Mbappé.

• That said, both stars struggled in Monday’s Round of 16. After Portugal's tear-soaked penalty-kick escape from No. 57 Slovenia, Ronaldo announced this is his final Euro, while masked Mbappé is having trouble finding the net as his team finds their offense in their opponents’ own goals.

Don’t sleep on Saturday’s skirmishes: No. 5 England will have their toughest test of the tourney thus far at noon, taking on dark horse No. 19 Switzerland, fresh off a dominant Round of 16 win over defending Euro champs, No. 10 Italy. Adding to the intrigue? English phenom and knockout stage hero Jude Bellingham’s playing status is still TBD.

• Last but not least comes the 3 p.m. ET showdown between the No. 7 Netherlands and No. 42 Türkiye, a sure-to-thrill showdown following yesterday’s epic wins.

• The Dutch dominated for the first time this tourney, topping No. 47 Romania 3–0, while Türkiye scored the second fastest Euros goal ever and held on tight to beat No. 25 Austria 2–1. Now both squads are through to the Euro QFs for the first time since 2008.