Semifinals Set: France, Spain, England, Argentina Advance

The World Cup 2026 has been reduced to its final four teams, with France, Spain, England, and Argentina securing their places in the semifinals. The tournament, which began with 48 teams, will now see the top four-ranked nations in the world compete for a place in the final on July 19.

According to Al Jazeera's preview of the semifinals, France, Spain, England, and Argentina booked their spots through quarterfinal victories. France defeated Morocco 2-0, Spain edged Belgium 2-1, England beat Norway 2-1, and Argentina overcame Switzerland 3-1.

Semifinal Schedule and Venues

The semifinal matches are scheduled as follows:

  • France vs Spain will be played on Tuesday, July 14, at 2pm (19:00 GMT) at Dallas Stadium, US.
  • England vs Argentina will be played on Wednesday, July 15, at 3pm (19:00 GMT) at Atlanta Stadium, US.

Key Players to Watch

As reported by Al Jazeera, the semifinals will feature several standout performers. France's Kylian Mbappe has been in sensational form throughout the tournament, with Al Jazeera noting that Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele will also play starring roles. Spain's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal will be appearing in his first World Cup semifinal, while Mikel Merino has scored late winners off the bench in Spain's last two matches.

England's Harry Kane has been the talismanic captain whose goals built their first-phase run, and Jude Bellingham has six goals in the tournament, two of which came in the quarterfinal. Argentina's Lionel Messi has scored eight goals in six matches, though he did not score in the quarterfinal.

Quarterfinal Results and Lineup

The quarterfinal lineup, as detailed by Al Jazeera in its comprehensive coverage, included eight teams with the following round-of-16 results: Morocco defeated Canada 3-0, France defeated Paraguay 1-0, Norway defeated Brazil 2-1, England defeated Mexico 3-2, Spain defeated Portugal 1-0, Belgium defeated the USA 4-1, Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2, and Switzerland defeated Colombia 4-3 on penalties.

Al Jazeera reported that 40 nations have been eliminated, with the quarterfinals marking the third round of the knockout phase. An earlier Al Jazeera article, published while the round of 16 was still in progress, listed the confirmed quarterfinalists at that time as Morocco, France, Norway, and England, with the remaining spots yet to be decided.

The quarterfinal match schedule, as reported by Al Jazeera, was: France vs Morocco on Thursday, July 9, at Boston Stadium; Spain vs Belgium on Friday, July 10, at Los Angeles Stadium; Norway vs England on Saturday, July 11, at Miami Stadium; and Argentina vs Switzerland on Saturday, July 11, at Kansas City Stadium.

Broadcast Information

Al Jazeera provided viewing details for fans in North America. In the US, every match is available in English on FOX and FS1, with streaming on Fox One and the FOX Sports app. Spanish-language coverage is on Telemundo and Universo, with streaming via Peacock. In Canada, TSN is the primary English-language broadcaster, with selected matches also on CTV, and French-language coverage available on RDS and RDS2.

Predictions

Al Jazeera cited Opta's supercomputer predictions, which favor France with a 53 percent chance of reaching the final and a 33 percent chance of winning the tournament. Spain is predicted with a 27 percent chance of winning, while Argentina and England are third and fourth favorites, respectively.