Overview

The 2026 FIFA World Cup enters its final week with a semi-final line-up that would satisfy any football purist. Tomorrow, 14 July at 21:00 CEST, France face Spain at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Twenty-four hours later, on Wednesday, 15 July at 21:00 CEST, England meet reigning champions Argentina at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Both matches kick off at 15:00 Eastern Time, in the afternoon heat of the American summer, with both venues equipped with retractable roofs. The three co- hosts, Canada, Mexico and the United States, were all eliminated in the Round of 16, leaving four European and South American heavyweights to fight it out for a place in the final on Sunday, 19 July.

France vs Spain

The first semi-final brings together the two teams currently sitting at the top of FIFA's live rankings. France, the 2018 world champions, arrive in Arlington after one of the most convincing runs in the tournament. Didier Deschamps's side won all three of their Group I matches, beating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0 and Norway 4-1, before dispatching Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 and edging past Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16. In the quarter-final, goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé sealed a 2-0 victory over Morocco in Boston. France have not trailed in a single match at this World Cup and have outscored their opponents 14 to 2, a defensive record that speaks as much to the discipline of Deschamps's back line as to the firepower of Mbappé, who is currently level with Lionel Messi at the top of the tournament's scoring chart on eight goals.

Spain arrive on a run that few teams in world football can match. Luis de la Fuente's side have not lost a competitive international match in more than a year and have not conceded a goal since the start of the tournament until the quarter-final. Spain topped Group H with wins over Saudi Arabia (4-0) and Uruguay (1-0) and a draw against Cape Verde, then swept aside Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, a stoppage- time winner ended Portugal's tournament and, most likely, Cristiano Ronaldo's international career. In Los Angeles, the Spanish edged past Belgium 2-1 to reach the last four. Around the veteran spine of Rodri, Pedri and Nico Williams, the nineteen-year- old Lamine Yamal has again been decisive, adding to a reputation built on his performances in Euro 2024 and the last Nations League.

The two sides have met eleven times in modern era competition, with Spain holding a slight edge overall. The three most recent meetings capture the current rhythm of the rivalry perfectly. In October 2021, France won the UEFA Nations League Final in Milan 2-1, with Mbappé scoring the decisive goal. In July 2024, Spain took revenge in the Euro 2024 semi-final in Munich, winning 2-1 on their way to lifting the trophy. In June 2025, the two sides produced a nine-goal Nations League semi-final in Stuttgart that ended 5- 4 for Spain, with Yamal scoring twice. FIFA's live win probability model gives France a slight edge for Tuesday, at just under 41 percent, with Spain at 30 percent and a draw at 29 percent. The reality, as the last three meetings suggest, is that this fixture rarely produces anything less than drama.

England vs Argentina

The second semi-final is loaded with history. England reach the last four for the fourth time in their history and for the second time in three tournaments, still chasing their first World Cup title since 1966. Thomas Tuchel's side came through Group L with wins over Croatia (4-2) and Panama (2-0) and a scoreless draw against Ghana, then beat DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32 and Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16. Against Norway in the Miami quarter-final, Jude Bellingham scored a brace to overturn a Norwegian lead and secure a 2-1 win after extra time, in a heavyweight midfield duel with Martin Ødegaard and a striker battle featuring Erling Haaland. Around Bellingham, Tuchel has built his tournament on the composure of Declan Rice, the width of Bukayo Saka, and a back line marshalled by Marc Guéhi and John Stones.

Argentina, the reigning champions, remain the team no one wants to face. Lionel Scaloni's side won all three Group J matches, before edging Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time in the Round of 32 and Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16. In the quarter-final in Kansas City, Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring against Switzerland, Julián Álvarez sealed the win with a 112th-minute strike, and Lautaro Martínez added a third for a 3-1 result. Lionel Messi, at thirty-nine, is playing in what is expected to be his final major tournament, is currently the tournament's joint top scorer on eight goals, and is one match away from a second consecutive World Cup final. Argentina are chasing back-to-back World Cup titles, a feat last achieved by Brazil in 1962.

The occasion carries a weight that goes beyond either squad. It is the first competitive meeting between Argentina and England since a friendly in November 2005, and only the fifth World Cup meeting in history between the two nations, with the head-to-head record tied at two wins each. From Sir Geoff Hurst's 1966 quarter-final to Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century" in 1986, from David Beckham's red card in 1998 to his penalty in 2002, the fixture carries almost as much folklore as any in international football. Most strikingly, this will be the first time in his career that Lionel Messi faces the England national team. Despite more than two hundred matches for Argentina and more than a hundred and twenty goals, he was not part of the 2005 friendly, and the two sides have not crossed paths since. "Matches against the big national teams are always special, and I've never played against England before," Messi said after the win against Switzerland. "So it will be a unique game." FIFA's model puts England at just under 37 percent, Argentina at just under 32 percent, and a draw at almost the same figure.

The Final

The winners of both semi-finals will travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final on Sunday, 19 July, kick-off 21:00 CEST (15:00 ET). The venue is MetLife Stadium, branded during the tournament as New York New Jersey Stadium, situated just eight kilometres west of New York City. The stadium is normally home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League, and had 1,740 seats removed to comply with FIFA requirements, bringing capacity to roughly 82,500 for the final. The two losing semi-finalists will meet the day before, on Saturday, 18 July, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens for the third-place play-off.

For Argentina, this is a shot at back-to-back titles for the first time in more than sixty years. For France, it is a chance to claim a third World Cup and confirm a decade of dominance. For Spain, a first title since 2010 would crown a generational rebuild. For England, it would end sixty years of waiting.

Two matches, four contenders, one trophy.