The 2026 World Cup’s final four is complete, and for the first time since FIFA rankings began in 1992, the top four
ranked teams in the world have all reached the semifinals. France face Spain this afternoon in Texas, while England take on defending champions Argentina in Atlanta, with a place in next week’s final on the line.
England’s route here was dramatic. Jude Bellingham scored twice against Norway in Miami, equalising in first-half stoppage time before winning it in the 93rd minute after the Norwegian goalkeeper spilled a long-range effort. It sends England to a first World Cup semifinal since 2018, and just the fourth in the nation’s history, keeping alive their pursuit of a first title since 1966. Manager Thomas Tuchel was blunt about the performance afterwards, saying his side had made things unnecessarily hard for themselves and got fortunate with the result.
Argentina’s path was just as tense. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring from a Lionel Messi corner, but
Switzerland levelled through Dan Ndoye before having Breel Embolo sent off following a VAR review for simulation. With Switzerland reduced to ten men, substitute Julián Álvarez produced a curling 24-metre strike in the 112th minute to break the deadlock, and Lautaro Martínez added a third in the closing seconds of extra time to seal a 3-1 win. It extends Argentina’s unbeaten World Cup run to twelve matches.
Wednesday’s England-Argentina meeting revives one of football’s fiercest rivalries, while Tuesday’s Spain-France semifinal pits two of the tournament’s most in-form attacks against each other. The winners will meet in the final, with the third-place match and final both following in the tournament’s closing week.
