Matt Johnson
Who is still in the World Cup? History has been made this year, with the 2026 World Cup marking the first time ever that FIFA’s top four teams all advanced to the semifinals. These are without question the best teams in soccer, which should make these final matchups all the more interesting.
Let’s dive into our quick guide for what you need to know about the four teams left standing in the World Cup semifinals. For this exercise, we’ve ordered the teams based on who they will be facing.
France
France entered the 2026 World Cup ranked by FIFA as the best team in men’s soccer, and they’ve done nothing to dissuade anyone from that belief thus far. It’s been a nearly flawless run for the country across the UEFA Nations League (6-1-2 with a +9 goal differential) and the World Cup (15-1-1 with a +32 goal differential) ahead of the semifinals matchup versus Spain. Led by 27-year-old forward Kylian Mbappé (8 goals and 3 assists) and Ousmane Dembélé (5 goals and 2 assists), France is attempting to win the World Cup for the first time since 2018 for its third title (1998 and 2018). It also helps to avoid being knocked out in the World Cup Semifinal for the first time since 1986.
Spain
Spain entered the 2026 World Cup rated by FIFA as the third-best team globally, and they now have a chance to pull off a huge upset over France. The path here started with an impressive run in the UEFA Nations League (6-3-0 with a +10 goal differential), and that carried over into the World Cup (8-4-0 with a +19 goal differential). Spain’s national football team won its first-ever World Cup in 2010 but couldn’t make it past the Round of 16 in 2022. Led by Mikel Oyarzabal (4 goals and 1 assist), Spain hadn’t been to the semifinal since it won the title until now.
England
Led by captain Harry Kane, England’s national team is seeking its second World Cup crown since it took it home in 1966. Even making it to the semifinal feels like progress, as England had previously been knocked out in the quarterfinals (2022 vs France) in its last shot at making history. Rated as the fourth-best soccer team globally by FIFA, albeit a distant fourth in points, England will be banking on Kane (6 goals and 1 assist) and Jude Bellingham (6 goals and 1 assist) carrying this team in a challenging matchup versus Argentina. If England pulls off the upset, it will reach the FIFA World Cup Final for only the second time ever.
Argentina
What a sendoff it would be for Lionel Messi, age 39, if he wins it all in what will presumably be his final World Cup. Arguably the greatest soccer player of all time keeps defying Father Time, as evidenced by the fact he is tied for the lead in the 2026 World Cup in goals (8) and is in a strong position to win the Golden Boot. Messi delivered Argentina its third-ever World Cup title in 2022, defeating France, and now has a shot at punching his country’s ticket to the World Cup Final for the second consecutive time. It’s worth noting, however, that Argentina experienced some real scares versus Cape Verde and Egypt, which explains why England is favored to win on Wednesday.
