The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached the semifinal stage with four former champions—Argentina, Spain, France and England—remaining in contention, setting up two high-profile encounters between the world's top-ranked teams.
France will take on Spain in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday, while defending champions Argentina face England in Atlanta on Thursday, with the winners advancing to the final.
According to FIFA's latest rankings, the four semifinalists entered the tournament as the world's top four teams. It is also the first time since the 1990 World Cup that all four semifinalists are previous world champions.
The Argentina-England clash revives one of football's fiercest rivalries, shaped by decades of memorable World Cup encounters. Their history includes England's controversial 1966 quarterfinal victory, Diego Maradona's iconic "Hand of God" goal in Argentina's 1986 triumph, Argentina's penalty shootout win in 1998, and England's 1-0 group-stage victory in 2002 through David Beckham's penalty.
France and Spain, meanwhile, renew a growing rivalry after Spain defeated France 2-1 in the semifinals of Euro 2024 before going on to win the continental title. France, led by Kylian Mbappe, has impressed throughout the World Cup with its attacking strength, while Spain has relied on late goals and resilience despite injury concerns.
The race for the tournament's Golden Boot also remains wide open. Lionel Messi of Argentina and France's Mbappe jointly lead the scoring chart with eight goals each. England's Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have scored six goals apiece, while France's Ousmane Dembele has five and Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal has four.
Messi, playing what is widely expected to be his final World Cup at the age of 39, is also chasing another milestone. He has scored 21 goals across World Cup tournaments, one more than Mbappe, and is aiming to lead Argentina to back-to-back world titles—a feat last achieved by Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
With four football powerhouses still in the hunt and several of the game's biggest stars on display, the semifinals promise two of the tournament's most anticipated matches.