The FIFA World Cup 2026 is upon us, and the road to the final is set. The top four teams in the world rankings - Argentina, France, Spain, and England - have made it to the semifinals, and they've performed like the favorites they are. With the tournament's biggest stars and best teams in the world clashing, the semifinals promise to be an epic finish to the tournament. Here's a breakdown of each team's performance and where they stand.
Argentina
While Argentina had the easiest path through the knockout stages, they needed to become the comeback kings of the World Cup to get there. They've been powered by Lionel Messi, who has a goal or an assist in every game of the World Cup. However, their extra-time victory over Switzerland is the first time that he didn't score a goal, with Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Lautaro Martinez all scoring. This is important, as for all of Argentina's excellence, and a bit of good fortune, they can't win the World Cup only through Messi. When it comes to the Argentina XI, Rodrigo De Paul has struggled in midfield, and they've also been tortured by wingers, which will be an issue coming up against Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, and England. Lionel Scaloni has been able to find a way so far, but when looking at all four teams remaining, Argentina have the most questions at this stage.
England
Coming into the tournament, this was expected to be the Kane show for England. And while that has been the case, to a degree, with Kane scoring six goals and assisting one more, the knockout stage has brought out the best in Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid midfielder has now scored braces in consecutive matches to equal Kane's six World Cup goals. That duo is what makes England so dangerous, as injuries and suspensions have limited Thomas Tuchel's squad. Jarell Quansah is still suspended for the semifinal match, while Jordan Henderson is out with an injury. Reece James should be available after coming off the bench against Norway, which would be a big boost for England. On paper, England have the worst expected goals and expected goals allowed of the four remaining teams, but a large portion of that is down to going down a man while facing Mexico. This team, which doesn't rise to the tier of the other two semifinalists, are well poised to give Argentina trouble as the Three Lions look to make the World Cup final for the first time since winning the entire tournament in 1966.
France
Kylian Mbappe is matching Lionel Messi step for step at the World Cup with eight goals of his own, upstaging his own French teammates at this tournament. Ousmane Dembele has five goals and two assists, and Michael Olise has five assists, only one behind Pelé for the most at any single edition of the World Cup. As France are in the midst of Didier Deschamps's last World Cup in charge of the team, they've morphed into one of the best attacking squads in the world. Les Bleus are usually associated with being a bit of a plodding side that takes the fun out of games, but that hasn't been the case during this World Cup. Even going through these attackers, I haven't mentioned Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, who have also chipped in when needed. It's an embarrassment of riches going forward for Deschamps, and when he's a manager who wants to get his best 11 on the field whenever possible, it shouldn't be a surprise that they've been able to attack like this. Physicality has been where France has struggled, as Paraguay gave France everything that they could handle in the round of 16. But France will face off against the best defense in the tournament and a midfield that can push them, especially if Aurelien Tchouameni doesn't return to the starting XI.
Spain
My pick to win the World Cup before the tournament started and still holding that place, Spain haven't hit their top gear, but they've gotten matches into submission to make the semifinals. Partially, this is down to the defense, even with Unai Simon's record shutout streak coming to an end, and another large portion is down to Mikel Oyarzabal picking up the slack in attack to score four goals while Lamine Yamal struggles to get back to his best. While the Barcelona man can break a game open at any moment, it has felt like he is pushing too much during this World Cup. Taking shots from distance is one of the things that makes Yamal great, but it also creates easy counter attacks for other teams to take advantage of. That's where Spain's midfield comes into play. Having Pedri and Rodri, even if there's a counter attack coming their way, Spain can clean it up. They're also so pragmatic when attacking under Luis de la Fuente that if Spain aren't pressed, they'll just pass you into submission. Both Portugal and Belgium figured out that fate while also learning about super sub Mikel Merino, that's right, six of Spain's 11 goals during the World Cup have been scored by someone named Mikel, able to play in midfield or pop up as an emergency striker. There aren't many better players to bring off the bench during a tournament like the World Cup. Spain's approach and depth are what set them apart, and while it may be a 1a and 1b situation when trying to separate them from France, it makes enough of a difference to rank them first here.
