2026 World Cup Semi-Finals Set as France Face Spain and England Meet Argentina

The 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals begin today as France plays Spain, with England set to face defending champion Argentina on Wednesday.

• France and Spain play the first semi-final Tuesday at Dallas Stadium; France eliminated Morocco in the quarter-finals, and Spain beat Belgium.
• Didier Deschamp said the match against Spain will be a battle for possession and acknowledged the difficulty of the opponent.
• Deschamp confirmed that Kylian Mbappé is fully fit after being substituted in the previous match, and said Aurélien Tchouaméni is not fully ready but available.
• England will face Argentina on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Latest developments

• A new statistical analysis has shown that France leads the tournament in chances created per 90 minutes, including the highest expected goals and shot volume.
• Argentina has recorded the highest conversion rate and goal tally in the tournament, despite not being the most prolific chance creator.
• FIFA has appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate the Argentina–England World Cup semi-final.
• Lionel Messi missed Argentina's final training session; his absence was a planned rest after the strenuous quarter-final.
• Messi will face England for the first time in his international career, calling the match 'special'; the teams have met five times in the World Cup.
• Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has announced an unchanged lineup for the semi-final against France.