France and Spain are through to the last four. The rest of it is still being decided, and that, for now, is the shape of this World Cup. Two of the four semi-finalists are known. Two are not.
The tournament has reached its business end with the picture only half painted. The first semi-final is fixed: France against Spain at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, rebranded Dallas Stadium for the competition, on 14 July. It is the marquee tie of the round, the reigning European champions against the holders' great modern rival. The second semi-final has a date, a stadium and an empty half of the bracket waiting to be filled.
The half still up for grabs
Four teams are playing today for the other place. Norway meet England at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, kick-off 5pm ET. Argentina face Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Both are quarter-finals, both on 11 July, and both feed the same side of the draw, per Al Jazeera's schedule. Whoever comes through will meet the France-Spain winner in the second semi-final, set for Wednesday 15 July at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, 3pm ET, per FIFA's own listings. Until then, that whole side of the draw is guesswork.
There is a subplot running through all four dressing rooms. Every side left in Saturday's quarter-finals is carrying at least one player a single yellow card away from a semi-final ban, according to SI.com. England have the longest list: Declan Rice, Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jude Bellingham. Norway have Antonio Nusa. Argentina have Gonzalo Montiel. Switzerland carry three in Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria and Miro Muheim. Win the tie and pick up a booking in it, and the prize is a place in the last four you are not allowed to take up.
Spain, back where they have not been since 2010
Of the two confirmed sides, Spain are the story. This is only the second World Cup semi-final in their history, and the first since 2010, the year they won the whole thing, per The Analyst. Sixteen years have passed between the two. An entire era of Spanish football, the tiki-taka peak and the long comedown after it, sits in the gap.
They come into it as European champions, and the parallel writes itself. Spain's golden generation strung together Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, a clean sweep of the continent and the world. This side already hold the Euro 2024 title. Two more matches and they complete the same double their predecessors did, from the same country, a generation on. First, though, France.
France's routine, and the record only Deschamps can reach
France have turned the semi-final into a habit. This is their third in a row, after 2018 and 2022, and their eighth in all. Only Germany, with twelve, have reached more. Nobody left in this tournament arrives at the last four with a heavier pedigree.
Then there is the man in charge. During this World Cup, Didier Deschamps became the most successful manager the competition has known, moving to 17 wins and past West Germany's Helmut Schon on 16. The larger record is still out in front of him. Deschamps lifted the trophy as a player in 1998 and as a manager in 2018. No coach has ever won three World Cups. Yahoo Sports has cast this run as his quest for one last title, and the sum is a short one: see off Spain, win once more, and he stands alone in the history of the game.
The road to MetLife
The route in is mapped and it is short. The Dallas semi-final on 14 July and the Atlanta semi-final on 15 July send two teams to the final and two to the third-place match. That consolation, if reaching it can be called one, is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Saturday 18 July, 5pm ET. The final is Sunday 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 3pm ET, per the venue's own event page.
France and Spain already know which flights to book. The other two names on the bracket get written today, in Miami and in Kansas City, one yellow card at a time.
Sources
- Al Jazeera (World Cup 2026 quarterfinals schedule)
- FIFA World Cup News (quarterfinals/semifinals schedule)
- MetLife Stadium (official World Cup final event page)
- SI.com (17 players at risk of semifinal suspension)
- The Analyst / Opta (Spain vs Belgium stats)
- Yahoo Sports (Deschamps' quest for one last World Cup title)
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