This is the FIFA World Cup semifinals we deserved.
Argentina, Spain, France, and England—the four top-ranked teams in the world heading into the tournament, four previous champions, and four nations that are now two wins away from lifting the trophy. It is the first time since FIFA introduced its rankings in 1992 that the FIFA World Cup final four has been made up entirely of the top four teams in the world. Not since 1990 has every semifinalist been a former champion.
France play Spain in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. England face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. And the storylines write themselves.
The Final Before the Final
France and Spain have met before at this stage of a major tournament—just two years ago, at the European Championship, where a then-16-year-old Lamine Yamal was on the scoresheet in a 2-1 Spanish victory that led to Spain lifting the Euros trophy by beating England in the final. Tuesday’s semifinal is a rematch with considerably higher stakes.
France arrive as the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s most impressive team by most accounts—a dizzying array of attacking talent led by Kylian Mbappe, who enters the semifinal on Bastille Day with eight goals and the joint Golden Boot lead alongside Lionel Messi. Two years ago Mbappe played through that Euros tournament with a broken nose, his powers diminished. This time there are no such excuses. He is at full capacity and it shows.
Spain, meanwhile, have been far less dominant than their semifinal place suggests. Injuries to Yamal and fellow winger Nico Williams coming into the tournament complicated their preparation, and they have relied heavily on substitute Mikel Merino’s late goals to get past both Portugal and Belgium in the last two rounds. Merino has been the difference-maker from the bench when Spain needed him most. Whether that formula holds against France’s attacking firepower is the central question Tuesday poses.
The two nations have history beyond this tournament. France beat Spain in the final of Euro 84. Now they meet again with a FIFA World Cup final berth on the line.
Messi, England, and 40 Years of FIFA World Cup History
Then there is the other semifinal—and the rivalry that comes with it.
Argentina and England carry baggage that goes well beyond football. Their relationship is shaped by the 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands and a series of combustible encounters on the World Cup stage that have produced some of the game’s most unforgettable moments—and some of its most controversial.
Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered 1966 quarterfinal against England. In 1986, Diego Maradona’s Hand of God helped Argentina to a 2-1 win on the way to the trophy. David Beckham was sent off in 1998 for kicking out at Diego Simeone in a round of 16 defeat. Beckham returned four years later with a penalty in a 1-0 group stage win that contributed to Argentina’s early exit.
Now, in 2026, Messi faces England for the first time in his career. At 39 years old, in what is almost certainly his final World Cup, the man widely regarded as the greatest of all time is trying to do something even Maradona never managed: win two World Cups for Argentina. A title in Atlanta would put him ahead of his legendary predecessor in that particular argument. Argentina would also become the first back-to-back champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
England, meanwhile, are chasing a first World Cup final appearance in 60 years. Jude Bellingham has six goals in the tournament, Harry Kane has six, and a team that has ground out results rather than dazzled is now one win from the final.
The Golden Boot Race in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The scoring competition has been one of the tournament’s most compelling subplots—and it runs through the semifinals.
Messi and Mbappe lead with eight goals each in this FIFA World Cup. Erling Haaland ends his tournament at seven after Norway’s exit to England. Bellingham and Kane have six each. Ousmane Dembele sits on five and could yet press if France advance. Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal has four—within striking distance if the Spaniards can go deep.
And hovering over everything is the all-time record. Messi sits at 21 career World Cup goals. Mbappe is at 20. They are competing for the Golden Boot and for history simultaneously—and they may yet meet in the final to settle both.
Four teams. Four previous champions. Two semifinals. One trophy.
This is the FIFA World Cup the sport deserved.
