Miami [US], July 12 : The FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final line-up has been confirmed, with England and Argentina overcoming tough quarter-final tests to join France and Spain in the last four of the tournament.
England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, coming from behind thanks to a brace from Jude Bellingham.
His decisive winner in the third minute of extra time sealed England's progression to just the fourth World Cup semi-final in the nation's history.
Argentina completed the semi-final line-up later in the day with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland after another match that went beyond regulation time. The defending champions continued their impressive knockout form, scoring exactly three goals in each of their three knockout-stage victories.
Those results have set up two blockbuster semi-final clashes, with France taking on Spain and England facing defending champions Argentina. While all four teams topped their respective groups, each has taken a distinctly different path to reach the final four.
The winner of the France-Spain semi-final will face either England or Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, scheduled to kick off at 12:30 AM IST on July 20. The two losing semi-finalists will contest the third-place playoff.
France have enjoyed the most convincing and controlled knockout-stage campaign among the four remaining teams.
After finishing top of Group I, they opened the knockout rounds with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32.
They then edged past Paraguay 1-0 in a closely contested Round of 16 before producing another disciplined display to defeat Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals and secure their place in the last four.
France have scored six goals in the knockout stages without conceding a single one, underlining their defensive discipline and control under pressure. Even in tightly contested encounters, their structure has remained solid, while France captain Kylian Mbappe has continued to provide the cutting edge in attack when it matters most.
Spain finished top of Group H before launching their knockout campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria in the Round of 32.
Their path then became considerably more challenging. Spain overcame Portugal 1-0 in a tightly contested Round-of-16 clash, controlling much of the game against their Iberian rivals, before edging past Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals to secure a place in the last four.
Spain have scored six goals while conceding just once across their three knockout-stage matches, highlighting their defensive solidity and consistency on the road to the semi-finals.
England's journey to the semi-finals has been far more dramatic than that of their remaining rivals.
After topping Group L, they edged past DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32 before overcoming Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling five-goal Round-of-16 encounter.
Norway provided an even sterner challenge in the quarter-finals. England fell behind early, squandered several chances during regulation time, and were taken into extra time before Jude Bellingham struck the decisive winner to seal a 2-1 comeback victory.
Notably, England have won each of their three knockout-stage matches by a one-goal margin, underlining the resilience they have shown on their run to the last four.
England have scored seven goals in the knockout stages but have also conceded in each round, making their route to the semi-finals appear less dominant than the more controlled campaigns of France and Spain.
Argentina entered the knockout phase after winning all three group matches in Group J. Argentina's knockout-stage campaign has been equally demanding.
They began with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Cabo Verde in the Round of 32 before edging past Egypt by the same scoreline in the Round of 16, once again relying on their attacking firepower to overcome a resilient opponent.
The defending champions faced another stern test in the quarter-finals, where Switzerland pushed them all the way before Argentina secured a 3-1 extra-time victory to book their place in the semi-finals.
Argentina have scored nine goals in three knockout games, the highest total among the semi-finalists.
Meanwhile, France captain Kylian Mbappe currently leads the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race with 8 goals and 3 assists. The Frenchman holds the tiebreaker over Argentina's legend Lionel Messi, who also has 8 goals but with fewer assists.