World Cup semifinals: What to know and how to watch France vs. Spain and England vs. Argentina 16%
By Peter Warren17%
7/13/2026, 11:27:59 PM
Keywords: World Cup, France, Spain, England, Argentina, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Lisandro Martinez, Mikel Merino, Fabian Ruiz, Charles De Ketelaere, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Andreas Schjelderup, Pele, Julian Alvarez
BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Recency Bias, and Anecdotal, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 41.2% saturation with 372 hits. Analysis detected 878 faulty-reasoning hits from 904 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 31.6% and a BS Rank of 16% (18,542 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 84.70% of the article peer group.
Only four teams remain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
France, Spain, England and Argentina have all advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup without defeat.
But two will be relegated to the third-place match while the other two move onto New Jersey for the World Cup final.
Each team is a previous World Cup winner, and outside of England, the other three teams have combined to win three of the past four World Cups.
A look at the matchups:
France vs.
Spain
When: 2 p.m.
Tuesday
Where: Arlington
English broadcast: Fox
Spanish broadcast: Telemundo
What to know about France
Have they won the World Cup before?
Yes.
France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018.
It also reached the final in 2006 and 2022.
Quarterfinal performance: In a rematch of a 2022 World Cup semifinal, France proved to be way too much for Morocco to handle.
France had 22 total shots, including eight on target, compared to just five shots and one on target for the Atlas Lions.
A brilliant shot from Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the second half before Ousmane Dembélé added a second tally.
Standout stat: Team captain Kylian Mbappé has 20 goals in 20 career World Cup matches.
For comparison, Lionel Messi has 21 goals in 32 matches.
Under-the-radar player: The triumvirate of Mbappé, Dembélé and Michael Olise make up the most formidable attacking trio in world football but Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola are no slouches either.
The two players have rotated as starters at left wing alongside the other three attackers.
Doué, who started the last match and provided an assist, might not be in the spotlight much thanks to his teammates but has the ability to be a gamechanger on any given day.
What to know about Spain
Have they won the World Cup before?
Yes.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010
Quarterfinal performance: Spain, playing in its first quarterfinal since its run to the World Cup trophy in 2010, opened the scoring against Belgium through Fabián Ruiz.
Charles De Ketelaere tied the score soon after as the two European teams battled back and forth.
But after Belgium was forced to make a goalkeeper change, new goalie Senne Lammens couldn’t corral a Spain shot.
The rebound spilled out to an attacking Mikel Merino, who slotted in the rebound and sent Spain to the semifinals.
Standout stat: Spain is one of two teams in the World Cup to have allowed only one goal the entire tournament.
The other is Colombia.
Under-the-radar player: It’s hard to call Mikel Merino an “under-the radar player” considering he has scored the game-winning goal for Spain in each of its last two matches.
But Merino’s impact off the bench has been as influential as any substitute in the tournament.
His game-winning goal versus Portugal came about six minutes after coming on and his game-winning goal versus Belgium came within two minutes after entering the pitch.
England vs.
Argentina
When: 2 p.m.
Wednesday
Where: Atlanta
English broadcast: Fox
Spanish broadcast: Telemundo
What to know about England
Have they won the World Cup before?
Yes.
England won the World Cup in 1966.
Quarterfinal performance: After a very slow first quarter to the match, Norway struck first against England behind a wonderstrike from Andreas Schjelderup.
But Jude Bellingham equalized before halftime and then pounced on a rebound early in extra time to give England the 2-1 lead.
The English defense notably held star striker Erling Haaland in check throughout the victory.
Standout stat: Jude Bellingham, 23, is the second-youngest player to score a brace in two straight knockout stage matches, trailing only a 17-year-old Pelé in 1958.
Under-the-radar player: It has been the Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane show for England throughout the tournament but Anthony Gordon has played outstanding in the knockout stage.
Gordon, who Newcastle United transferred to Barcelona for up to around $93 million in late May, came off the bench against DR Congo in the round of 32 and provided two assists.
He then drew the foul that led to Kane’s penalty kick against Mexico and provided the assist on Bellingham’s first goal against Norway.
What to know about Argentina
Have they won the World Cup before?
Yes.
Argentina won the World Cup in 1978, 1986 and 2022.
It also reached the final in 1930, 1990 and 2014.
Quarterfinals performance: It has not been easy for Argentina throughout the knockout stage.
Cape Verde took the team to extra time in the round of 32 and then Argentina needed a late, thunderous comeback to beat Egypt in the round of 16.
Switzerland proved no different in the quarterfinals.
Despite going down to 10 men in the 72nd minute, Switzerland took the match to extra time and kept it tied until Julián Alvarez provided the breakthrough in the 112th minute.
Standout stat: Lionel Messi’s nine-game goal-scoring streak at the World Cup ended in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over Switzerland.
Under-the-radar player: Argentina is all about Messi but 28-year-old center back Lisandro Martínez has been critical to the success of the team, both in defense and as a surprise attacking option.
Martínez, who has played every minute of all five matches he has played so far, scored a goal and provided an assist in the victory over Cape Verde in the round of 32.
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