A historic World Cup semifinal round is officially set.
For the first time since FIFA introduced its world rankings in 1992, each of the top four ranked teams entering the tournament have reached the semifinals.
Argentina (No. 1), Spain (No. 2), France (No. 3), and England (No. 4) were the highest ranked teams in the world before the opening match, and each nation has lived up to those expectations.
France and Spain will square off on July 14 in Arlington, while England and Argentina meet the following day in Atlanta. The winners of each match will meet in the final on July 19 in East Rutherford.
The semifinal field has also been just as remarkable from a betting standpoint. Before the tournament, Spain (+450), France (+450), England (+700), and Argentina (+900) all ranked among the five favorites to lift the trophy. The only pre-tournament top-five betting favorite not to reach the semifinals was Portugal (+700), making this one of the chalkiest final fours the World Cup has ever seen.
Since 1994, this is the first World Cup in which all four semifinalists were below +1000 on the oddsboard before the tournament began. Below, we broke down all of the semifinalists back to the 1994 edition, as that was the first World Cup in which rankings were used. We additionally provided context on just how historic each of the 2026 semifinalists’ runs have been.
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World Cup Semifinalists Since 1994
2022
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Brazil: +333
- Argentina: +550
- France: +750
- England: +850
- Spain: +850
Actual Semifinalists
- Argentina +550
- France +750
- Croatia +5000
- Morocco +25000
2018:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Brazil: +400
- Germany: +455
- Spain: +650
- France: +700
Actual Semifinalists
- France: +700
- Croatia: +3500
- England: +1650
- Belgium: +1050
2026 Argentina (1)
- Argentina has made consecutive World Cup semifinals for the second time ever, last doing so in 1986 and 1990.
- Argentina has now won a team-record 13 straight games and is unbeaten in a team-record 12 straight World Cup games.
- Argentina is the only team to score at least two goals in all six matches at this World Cup; Argentina has scored multiple goals in 12 straight World Cup matches, a new World Cup record.
- Argentina is looking to become the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups, last happening 64 years ago (Brazil in 1958 and 1962, Italy in 1934 and 1938).
- Lionel Messi has scored 21 goals and recorded 10 assists, both the most in World Cup history; he’s also recorded 32 matches played and 21 matches won— both also the most in tournament history.
- Messi has scored a goal against 15 different opponents at the World Cup, the most of any player in World Cup history.
- Messi scored in every match from the 2022 Round of 16 up until this year’s Round of 16, marking nine consecutive matches scored in and six consecutive knockout stage matches scored in— both World Cup records.
2014:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Brazil: +275
- Argentina: +400
- Germany: +600
- Spain: +600
Actual Semifinalists
- Germany: +600
- Argentina: +400
- Brazil: +275
- Netherlands: +3300
2010:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Spain: +350
- Brazil: +450
- Argentina: +650
- England: +650
Actual Semifinalists
- Spain: +350
- Netherlands: +900
- Germany: +1100
- Uruguay: +10000
2026 Spain (2)
- Spain has made its second semifinal appearance ever at the World Cup, last making it in 2010 (won title that year).
- Spain is now unbeaten in 36 straight games (27-9-0, W-D-L) since March 2024, the longest such run in team history; the record by a European team is 37 straight games unbeaten by Italy (2018-21).
- Spain and Unai Simón’s shutout streak at the World Cup ended at 649 minutes vs. Belgium, the longest in World Cup history.
- Spain started two teenagers (Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí) against Belgium, becoming the first team to do so in a World Cup quarterfinal since Brazil vs. Wales in 1958 (Pelé and Altafini).
- Lamine Yamal made his sixth World Cup appearance, the most by a player aged 18 or younger in the competition’s history.
- Spain is unbeaten under Luis de la Fuente at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros), winning 12 of 13 matches (one draw); no European manager has coached more matches across the two competitions without losing.
2006:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Brazil: +250
- Germany: +600
- England: +700
- Italy: +800
- Argentina: +800
Actual Semifinalists
- Italy: +800
- France: +1200
- Germany: +600
- Portugal: +1800
2002:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Argentina: +400
- France: +400
- Italy: +500
- Brazil: +600
Actual Semifinalists
- Brazil: +600
- Germany: +1600
- Türkiye: +7500
- South Korea: +15000
2026 France (3)
- France became the third nation ever to make three straight World Cup semifinals (Germany twice, Brazil).
- France is the only team in this tournament to win all six matches in regulation.
- France has one outright loss in its last 20 World Cup matches (17-2-1, W-D-L), losing 1-0 to Tunisia in the final group stage match in 2022.
- France is now unbeaten in 32 straight World Cup games when scoring first (29-2-0, W-D-L) and has won 19 straight such games, last losing the 1982 third-place match vs Poland.
- Mbappé became the first player ever to score eight goals in two separate World Cups; He now has 20 goals in 20 World Cup matches played.
- Mbappé has been involved in 11 goals at the 2026 World Cup (eight goals, three assists); that’s the most by a player in a single edition of the World Cup since Gerd Müller in 1970 (10 goals, three assists).
- Didier Deschamps has 10 wins in the knockout rounds and 20 wins at the World Cup, both the most of any World Cup manager all-time.
1998:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Brazil: +300
- Germany: +600
- France: +700
- Italy: +700
Actual Semifinalists
- France: +700
- Brazil: +300
- Netherlands: +900
- Croatia: +4000
1994:
Pre-Tournament Favorites
- Brazil: +250
- Germany: +300
- Italy: +350
- Argentina: +600
Actual Semifinalists
- Brazil: +250
- Italy: +350
- Sweden: +2500
- Bulgaria: +5000
2026 England (4)
- England has reached the World Cup semifinal for the fourth time, and for the second time in the last three World Cups— the first time that’s ever happened (reached semifinal in 2018).
- England has matched its record for the most victories in a single World Cup tournament (five), which was set during the 1966 championship run.
- England joined France in this tournament as the only teams with two players to score five or more goals each (Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham).
- England has now reached the semifinal in four major tournaments (World Cup and Euros) since 2018, as many as they had reached in their history prior to the 2018 World Cup (four).
- England is now 3-5-17 (W-D-L) all-time at the World Cup when conceding first, with two of those wins coming this tournament (vs. Norway and vs. DR Congo).
- Jude Bellingham has nine goal contributions (seven goals, two assists) in his World Cup career, tied for the third-most since assists were first tracked in 1966 (Harry Kane- 18, Gary Lineker- 10, David Beckham- nine).
- Bellingham has joined Kylian Mbappé (12) and Pelé (seven) as the only players to reach seven career World Cup goals while age 23 or younger.
