2026 World Cup Semifinals: Everything You Need to Know About the Dates, Kickoff Times, and Rivalry Records

After 100 games, the 2026 World Cup semifinals have finally arrived.

Take a moment to let that sink in. One hundred matches. That's more than a quarter of a full Premier League season crammed into a single month. The tournament has produced 232 goals, 14 red cards, and one presidential pardon.

The sheer volume of soccer that has flooded the globe over the past four weeks is almost impossible to grasp, so there's really only one logical thing to do: look ahead. Here's everything you need to know about the next two tantalizing fixtures now that the first hundred matches of this summer's tournament are in the books.

France vs. Spain

The semifinal everyone anticipated and craved—Lamine Yamal included. Spain's boldly confident young star has made no effort to hide his self-assurance heading into Tuesday's heavyweight clash against the side the entire tournament has been buzzing about.

"If France should fear anyone, it's us," Yamal said coolly after the first semifinal matchup was confirmed. The teenager might end up being right, though perhaps not for the reasons he expects.

Yamal went on to point out that it was Spain who eliminated France in the semifinals of the 2024 European Championship. However, Didier Deschamps's squad has evolved significantly over the past two years, swapping out Randal Kolo Muani for either Bradley Barcola or Désiré Doué while also adding the influential creative presence of Michael Olise.

This is a reinvented France, yet one that may still have reason to worry about an equally transformed Spain. No longer the fluid, attack-minded side from the Euros, injuries and inconsistent form—most notably from Yamal—have pushed Luis de la Fuente to wind the clock back to 2010 and La Roja's suffocating style of possession-based football.

Belgium became the first team in 649 minutes of World Cup action to find the net against Spain this summer, yet clear-cut chances remained scarce. Despite featuring in more matches than any other side, La Roja has still posted the lowest xG conceded of any team in the tournament.

France vs. Spain Head-to-Head Record

England vs. Argentina

England's World Cup journey has triggered more soul-searching than years of therapy. Thomas Tuchel may not be entirely satisfied with the Three Lions' most recent performance—much to Jude Bellingham's frustration—but regardless of how they got here, this is rarefied territory for the nation.

Since England first entered the World Cup back in 1950, the country credited with inventing the game had only reached the semifinals on three prior occasions. After claiming victory in the first in 1966, West Germany and Croatia delivered heartbreak in 1990 and 2018, respectively. Now Argentina await England in their fourth semifinal appearance.

The reigning champion is naturally no stranger to this stage of the competition. Notably, as many as 17 members of the current squad were part of the group that swept past Croatia in Qatar four years ago. It has been a winding journey to reach the same point in North America, but following yet another dramatic extra-time win over Switzerland, another chapter in this storied international rivalry is set to be written.

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England vs. Argentina Head-to-Head Record