FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals will see a clash between Kylian Mbappe’s France vs Spain and Lionel Messi’s Argentina vs England in the other game this week.
Published: July 13, 2026, 2:20 PM IST
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FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals will begin on Tuesday. (Image: AI)
The FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals are set to get underway on Tuesday with 2018 winners France set to take on 2010 champions Spain at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas while the defending champions Argentina will take on Harry Kane’s England in the second semifinal at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday.
It will be the second World Cup semifinal for England since 2018 and it is their arch-rivals Argentina standing in the way of a possible first final appearance in 60 years for the Three Lions. A clash between England and Argentina is never without controversies – like the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals where Diego Maradona and his ‘Hand of God’ stunned the Englishmen.
England will have another No. 10 to content with in the FIFA World Cup 2026 – Lionel Messi – who is the leading goal-scorer in history of World Cup with 21 strikes at the age of 39. He is also a contender for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot with 8 goals so far.
Lionel Messi vs Jude Bellingham
England’s answer to Lionel Messi’s goal-scoring prowess will be their own ‘No. 10’ Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid strike has notched up two goals in each of England’s last two knockout matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026 – the first player to achieve such a feat since Maradona in 1986. England captain Harry Kane also has the same number of goals as Bellingham – 6.
England got off to a flying start in the tournament with a 4-2 win over Croatia but were held to a goal-less draw by Ghana in their next league match. After their 2-0 win over Panama, their Round of 32 clash got off to a shocker as DR Congo went up ahead early before Kane struck twice at the end to seal a 2-1 win.
Their biggest test so far was against Mexico City but England managed to come out unscathed with a 3-2 win over the co-hosts at the Azteca Stadium. They finally sealed their place in the semifinal with a 2-1 win over Norway featuring Erling Haaland.
England have now reached the semi-finals in four major tournaments since 2018 – as many as they reached in their entire history prior to the 2018 World Cup. Argentina, on the other hand, have reached the World Cup last four for the third time in the past four editions – 2014, 2022, 2026. Prior to 2014, they hadn’t reached the semi-final since 1990 World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe’s France vs Spain
France captain Kylian Mbappe has been unstoppable in the FIFA World Cup 2026 too. The French striker notched up his 8th World Cup goal – for the second edition in succession – in a 2-0 win over Morocco.
The 2022 World Cup runners-up are getting ready to face Spain in their eighth World Cup semifinal equaling the record of Brazil and only Germany with 12 have played more.
Spain, on the other hand, are on their longest unbeaten run in their history and have now avoided defeat in each of their past 36 matches since a 1-0 loss to Colombia in March 2024. They have won 27 and drawn nine of their matches during that period.
“Spain have to stay patient but purposeful. They need to move the ball quickly, create overloads and maintain strong defensive balance because France are one of the best teams in transition,” former Germany goalkeeper and Zee 5 expert Oliver Kahn said about the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal clash.
Kahn believe it will be a battle of mid-field which can decide the France vs Spain contest. Spain’s teenager Lamine Yamal could hold the key in this regard and will be looking to build on his success from Euro 2024, a couple of years back.
“It’s not about pressing constantly – it’s about pressing intelligently. Whichever side controls the central areas and prevents the opposition from playing through the middle will probably control the game,” Kahn said.
