yesdaida news

By Vikram Iyer — 12 July 2026 — 3 min read

The 2026 World Cup has reached its semifinal stage, featuring a lineup of top-ranked national teams. France and Spain have secured their places, with England and Argentina completing the final four after their respective quarterfinal matches.

The semifinal field is notable as it includes the top four teams based on FIFA‘s world rankings entering the tournament. France is ranked first, followed by Argentina at second, Spain at third, and England at fourth.

Quarterfinal Showdowns

The final two spots in the semifinals were decided on Saturday, July 11. England faced Norway at Miami Stadium in the US, while defending champions Argentina took on Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium, also in the US.

According to the Opta supercomputer, England and Argentina were considered favourites to advance. England had a 50.4 percent chance of winning their match within 90 minutes, based on 25,000 pre-match simulations. Their overall probability of progressing, including extra time and penalties, was 62.3 percent. Norway, on the other hand, had a 25.1 percent chance of winning in normal time.

For the Argentina versus Switzerland match, history favoured Argentina, who were unbeaten in seven previous encounters with Switzerland, with five wins and two draws. The Opta supercomputer gave Lionel Messi‘s side a 57.1 percent chance of winning within 90 minutes, based on 25,000 pre-match simulations. Switzerland had an 18.7 percent probability of winning in normal time.

The match between England and Norway marked their first meeting in a World Cup, though they had played 12 times overall. England held a historical advantage with eight wins compared to Norway‘s two, and Norway had not scored in their last four meetings. Their most recent game was a 1-0 friendly victory for England in September 2014.

The quarterfinal stage also saw discussions around key players. England‘s Harry Kane downplayed comparisons with Norway‘s Erling Haaland, stating they are different types of players. Haaland had scored seven goals in the tournament, one more than Kane, with both chasing Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who each had eight goals.

Haaland also gained attention for his interactions with Mexican fans on social media, embracing their support after Mexico‘s elimination. He responded to posts from Mexican supporters who adopted Norway as their team for the quarterfinal, even using a rallying cry from Mexican fans.

Meanwhile, France captain Kylian Mbappe maintained that comparisons between the current France team and past great teams were premature, despite their 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarterfinals. Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele had combined for 13 goals in the tournament.

Looking Ahead to the Semifinals

The semifinal matches are now set. France will play Spain on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium. The other semifinal will feature the winner of the Norway/England match against the winner of the Argentina/Switzerland match, scheduled for July 15 at Atlanta Stadium.

In other tournament news, Portugal appointed Jorge Jesus as their new coach following their disappointing World Cup campaign. The 71-year-old coach replaced Roberto Martinez, whose departure was announced after Portugal‘s 1-0 round-of-16 defeat to Spain. Jesus, who described Cristiano Ronaldo as “a symbol” of Portuguese sport, plans to speak with Ronaldo regarding his international future.

Morocco‘s World Cup journey ended in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 defeat to France. Despite the loss, Morocco became the first African nation to reach consecutive World Cup quarterfinals, having eliminated the Netherlands earlier in the tournament. Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain.

The World Cup semifinals are scheduled for July 14 and July 15.

Source: sports.yahoo.com