France, Spain, England and Argentina reach World Cup semifinals
The world’s top four ranked teams will play for two places in the July 19 World Cup final after a 48-team tournament was cut to four.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
France, Spain, England and Argentina have completed the 2026 World Cup semifinal field, Al Jazeera reported. The lineup puts the world’s top four ranked teams two wins from the trophy, with the final scheduled for July 19.
The tournament began with 48 teams and is now down to two semifinal matches in the United States. France will face Spain on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium, while England will meet Argentina on Wednesday, July 15, at Atlanta Stadium.
Semifinal schedule
- France vs Spain: Tuesday, July 14, 2pm local time, 19:00 GMT, Dallas Stadium, US
- England vs Argentina: Wednesday, July 15, 3pm local time, 19:00 GMT, Atlanta Stadium, US
France reached the last four by beating Morocco 2-0, according to Al Jazeera. Spain advanced with a 2-1 win over Belgium, England beat Norway 2-1, and Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1.
The first semifinal brings together two teams with high-profile attacking options. Al Jazeera reported that Kylian Mbappe has scored in every France match at the tournament, while Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele are also among France’s players to watch against Spain.
Spain will have Lamine Yamal in his first World Cup semifinal, Al Jazeera reported. The reigning European champions also have Mikel Merino, who has scored late winning goals as a substitute in Spain’s last two matches.
England’s run has featured goals from captain Harry Kane, while Jude Bellingham has moved into Golden Boot contention, according to Al Jazeera. Bellingham has six goals at the tournament, including two in England’s quarterfinal win over Norway.
Argentina’s title defence has been powered by Lionel Messi’s scoring, Al Jazeera reported. Messi has eight goals in six matches, though he did not score in the quarterfinal against Switzerland.
Opta makes France the favourite
Stats provider Opta’s tournament model currently has France as the most likely champion, according to Al Jazeera. Opta gives France a 53 percent chance of reaching the final and a 33 percent chance of winning the World Cup.
Spain are second in Opta’s projection with a 27 percent chance of winning the tournament. Al Jazeera reported that Opta ranks Argentina third among the remaining teams, with England fourth.
How to watch in the US
Al Jazeera reported that US viewers can watch English-language coverage of every match on FOX and FS1. All 104 games are also available to stream through Fox One and the FOX Sports app.
Spanish-language coverage in the US is on Telemundo and Universo, with streaming on Peacock, according to Al Jazeera. Viewers can also use services that carry FOX and FS1, including Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and DIRECTV.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.