Former champions dominate FIFA semi-finals as France, Spain, England, Argentina advance
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Photo: Reuters
France, Spain, England and Argentina have secured places in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026, setting up two high-profile clashes between four of international football's most successful nations.
France became the first team to reach the last four after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals. Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé helped the two-time champions seal a third consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance while bringing Morocco's impressive campaign to an end, NDTV reported.
Spain followed with a 2-1 victory over Belgium. Fabián Ruiz gave Spain the lead before Charles De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium. Mikel Merino then scored a late winner—his second decisive goal in successive knockout matches—to send Spain into their first World Cup semi-final since lifting the trophy in 2010.
England booked their place in the semi-finals by overcoming surprise package Norway 2-1. After Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead, Jude Bellingham scored twice to guide the Three Lions into their first World Cup semi-final since 2018.
Defending champions Argentina completed the final four with a 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring before Dan Ndoye restored parity in the second half. Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez then found the net in extra time to keep Argentina's title defence on course.
The four remaining teams have won a combined seven FIFA World Cup titles, with Argentina the most successful among them, having claimed the trophy three times.
Their qualification has also produced a rare milestone in World Cup history. According to tournament records, this is only the third edition in the competition's 96-year history in which all four semi-finalists are former World Cup champions.
The first such instance came at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, when Brazil, Uruguay, Italy and West Germany reached the semi-finals. Brazil went on to win the tournament, becoming the first nation to secure three World Cup titles.
The feat was repeated at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where West Germany, Argentina, Italy and England made up the last four.
The 2026 semi-finalists now represent seven World Cup triumphs between them. Argentina enters the final four as the defending champions with three titles, France has won the tournament twice, Spain remains the one-time champions after their 2010 success, while England is aiming to win their first World Cup since their lone triumph in 1966.
