Key Points
- Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time to reach the World Cup semifinals.
- The 2026 semifinals are France-Spain on July 14 and England-Argentina on July 15.
- All four semifinalists — France, Spain, England, Argentina — are past World Cup winners.
- It is the first time since 1990 that every semifinalist is a former champion.
Defending champion Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time on Saturday to reach the World Cup semifinals, the same day England edged Norway 2-1 to claim the other spot in the lower half of the bracket. The two results completed the 2026 tournament's final four. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring for Argentina in the 10th minute, Julián Álvarez restored the lead in the 112th, and Lautaro Martínez added a third in stoppage time.
Argentina's path — a tight extra-time win over Cape Verde in the round of 32, now another 120-minute quarterfinal — has been a grind, but Lionel Scaloni's side is through with Lionel Messi still on the field. England reached the semifinals on a Jude Bellingham brace, the Real Madrid midfielder equalizing before halftime and settling it in extra time after Andreas Schjelderup had put Norway ahead.
The other half of the draw is set: France face Spain on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after France beat Morocco 2-0 and Spain edged Belgium 2-1. England and Argentina meet the next day, July 15, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
What stands out is how little chaos survived. France, Spain, England, and Argentina are all former World Cup winners — the first time since 1990 that every semifinalist has already lifted the trophy. A tournament expanded to 48 teams and sold as an opening for newcomers has funneled down to four of the sport's oldest powers. The seeds held, and the last weekend on U.S. soil belongs to the heavyweights.
Update: Argentina won that semifinal — rallying past England 2-1 to reach the final against Spain.
Source: Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Sports.
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