Argentina joins England, Spain, and France in World Cup semifinal field

By Aditya Rao — 12 July 2026 — 4 min read

The 2026 World Cup has reached its semifinal stage, featuring a lineup of top-ranked national teams. France and Spain have secured their positions, and they will be joined by England and Argentina, completing a highly anticipated final four.

This semifinal field is notable for including the top four teams based on FIFA‘s world rankings leading into the tournament. France holds the number one ranking, followed by Argentina at number two, Spain at third, and England at fourth. This marks the first time in World Cup history that the semifinal spots are occupied by the four highest-ranked teams.

Quarterfinal Battles and Predictions

The final two spots in the semifinals were decided on Saturday. England faced Norway, while defending champions Argentina took on Switzerland. Both England and Argentina entered their respective quarterfinals as favourites, according to the Opta supercomputer’s predictions.

The match between Norway and England was scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at 5pm (21:00 GMT) at Miami Stadium in the US. Historically, England has had a stronger record against Norway, with eight wins compared to Norway‘s two in their 12 overall encounters. Norway had not scored in any of their last four meetings, with their most recent game being a 1-0 friendly victory for England in September 2014.

The Opta supercomputer gave England a 50.4 percent chance of winning within 90 minutes, based on 25,000 pre-match simulations. Their overall probability of progressing, including extra time and penalties, was higher at 62.3 percent. Norway had a 25.1 percent chance of winning in normal time, while a draw after 90 minutes occurred in 24.6 percent of simulations.

The other quarterfinal saw Argentina play Switzerland on Saturday, July 11, at 8pm (01:00 GMT on Sunday) at Kansas City Stadium in the US. Argentina had a strong historical advantage, being unbeaten in seven previous meetings with Switzerland, winning five and drawing two.

Opta also favoured Argentina to advance, giving Lionel Messi‘s side a 57.1 percent chance of winning within 90 minutes based on 25,000 pre-match simulations. Switzerland had an 18.7 percent probability of winning in normal time, and 24.2 percent of simulations resulted in a draw after 90 minutes. Overall, Argentina‘s progression to the semifinals was predicted at 69.4 percent, leaving Switzerland with a 30.6 percent chance of advancing.

Semifinal Matchups and Other Developments

The semifinal schedule includes France versus Spain on Tuesday, July 14, at 7pm GMT at Dallas Stadium. The other semifinal, featuring the winners of the Norway/England and Argentina/Switzerland matches, is set for July 15 at 7pm GMT at Atlanta Stadium.

Beyond the quarterfinal matches, other notable events have occurred. Portugal has appointed Jorge Jesus as its new coach following a disappointing World Cup campaign. The 71-year-old coach succeeds Roberto Martinez, whose departure was announced earlier in the week after Portugal‘s 1-0 round-of-16 defeat to Spain. Jesus, who has coached clubs like Benfica, Sporting CP, and Al-Nassr, plans to speak with Cristiano Ronaldo regarding his international future.

Norway striker Erling Haaland has gained an unexpected following among Mexican fans on social media, embracing their support after Mexico‘s exit from the tournament. Haaland has responded to posts from Mexican supporters, including one where he replied with “I hear you 🇲🇽🌮” to a video and another with “Y si si? 🇲🇽😉” to a fan urging him to eliminate England.

England captain Harry Kane addressed comparisons with Haaland, stating that they are different types of players despite both being number nines. Kane acknowledged Haaland‘s goalscoring ability, describing him as “a machine, a beast” with finishing at the highest level. Both players are also in contention for the Golden Boot, with Haaland having scored seven goals, one more than Kane, trailing Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who each have eight.

Morocco‘s World Cup journey concluded in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 defeat to France. Despite the loss, Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach consecutive World Cup quarterfinals. Attention for Morocco now shifts to 2030, when they will co-host the World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain, automatically qualifying as hosts.

France captain Kylian Mbappe, whose team secured a 2-0 victory over Morocco, believes it is too early to compare the current squad to the country’s greatest teams. Mbappe stated that despite the potential and quality within the squad, the team has not yet achieved its ultimate goal.

The semifinal stage is now set for July 14 and July 15.

Source: sports.yahoo.com