{"id":51125,"date":"2026-07-14T09:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/51125\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:51:08","slug":"fifa-world-cup-brackets-semifinal-schedule-france-vs-spain-prediction-world-cup-2026-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/51125\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA World Cup brackets: Semifinal schedule, France vs Spain prediction | World Cup 2026 News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> has reached its final four, with France and Spain set to open the semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday before Argentina face England in Atlanta a day later.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s prolific attack will come up against Spain\u2019s formidable defence in the first semifinal, while the second will revive one of the World Cup\u2019s most historic rivalries.<\/p>\n

Recommended Stories list of 1 itemend of list<\/p>\n

Away from the pitch, Norway\u2019s players received a heroes\u2019 welcome in Oslo, Erling Haaland\u2019s unusual raccoon souvenir went viral, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino said a proposal to expand the 2030 tournament to 64 teams would be considered.<\/p>\n

Here is what you need to know about the World Cup semifinals:<\/p>\n

What is the schedule for the first semifinal?
\nFrance vs Spain, on Tuesday, July 14 (19:00 GMT) \u2013 Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas
\nWhich teams have made it to the semifinals?<\/p>\n

These are the teams fighting for a place in the World Cup final:<\/p>\n

France (defeated Morocco 2-0<\/a>)
\nSpain\u00a0(defeated Belgium\u00a02-1<\/a>)
\nEngland\u00a0(defeated Norway\u00a02-1<\/a>)
\nArgentina\u00a0(defeated Switzerland\u00a03-1<\/a>\u00a0in extra time)
\nWhat are the predictions for France vs Spain?<\/p>\n

Both sides have reached the final four through contrasting styles, with Spain relying on an outstanding defensive record and France powered by one of the tournament\u2019s most dangerous attacks. Spain have faced only seven shots on target across six games, with Aymeric Laporte, Unai Simon and Rodri leading a disciplined defensive unit.<\/p>\n

France, meanwhile, have scored 16 goals, the highest attacking output of any team at the tournament. Kylian Mbappe<\/a> has continued his exceptional World Cup form with eight goals, while Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise have added creativity and quality in the final third. The semifinal in Dallas will be a battle between Spain\u2019s defensive resilience and France\u2019s attacking firepower, with the winner potentially taking a major step towards lifting the trophy.<\/p>\n

As of Sunday, Opta\u2019s supercomputer gives France a 42.1 percent probability of winning in regulation time, while Spain\u2019s chances of winning are 31.8 percent. The model estimates a 26.1 percent probability of the game going to extra time.<\/p>\n

What other things are happening?Argentina vs England rivalry renewed<\/p>\n

Defending champions Argentina will face England<\/a> in the second semifinal of the World Cup on Wednesday, renewing one of football\u2019s fiercest and most historic rivalries.<\/a><\/p>\n

World Cup meetings between the two nations have rarely been short of controversy or unforgettable moments. From Diego Maradona\u2019s infamous \u201cHand of God\u201d goal in 1986 to David Beckham\u2019s red card for kicking Diego Simeone in 1998, Argentina vs England has produced some of the tournament\u2019s most dramatic chapters.<\/p>\n

Now, 24 years after their last World Cup encounter, the two sides return to the biggest stage to write a new chapter in their storied rivalry.<\/p>\n

The match will also mark the first World Cup meeting between Argentina icon Lionel Messi and England\u2019s current generation of stars, including Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. The Atlanta Police Department says it will \u201cenhance\u201d its \u201ccitywide public safety and security posture\u201d ahead of the game.<\/p>\n

The winner of the semifinal will advance to Sunday\u2019s final, where they will face either France or Spain for the opportunity to lift the World Cup trophy and become world champions once again.<\/p>\n

\"Argentina\u2019sArgentina\u2019s Diego Maradona celebrates his second goal against England in the World Cup quarterfinal, in Mexico City, Mexico, on June 22, 1986 [File: AP]<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Norway\u2019s heroic return home<\/p>\n

More than 100,000 fans flood the streets of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, to give their football team a heroes\u2019 welcome, turning the heartbreak of their World Cup exit into a massive national celebration.<\/p>\n

Translation: NORWAY WENT WILD! 90 thousand people welcomed their national team after the World Cup. The Prince of Norway played the drum, and the whole city did the \u201cNorwegian rowing\u201d. IMPRESSIVE.<\/p>\n

Haaland\u2019s bizarre raccoon souvenir<\/p>\n

Erling Haaland is back in Norway after a World Cup campaign that cemented his status as one of the tournament\u2019s biggest stars. But he did not return home alone.<\/p>\n

The striker landed in Oslo on Saturday, July 11, following Norway\u2019s quarterfinal exit to England<\/a>, carrying an unexpected travel companion: a taxidermied raccoon.<\/p>\n

Photos and videos of Haaland walking off the plane with the stuffed animal quickly spread across social media, turning the unusual souvenir into one of the most talked-about off-field moments of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n

Leaning into the joke, Haaland later posted on X: \u201cIt followed me home\u201d, alongside a raccoon emoji and a laughing face.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old also asked fans to help name his new companion through an Instagram Stories poll. The options included \u201cCowboy\u201d, \u201cRanger\u201d, \u201cTEX\u201d and \u201cR.O.W. (Raccoon on Wheels)\u201d \u2013 a playful reference to Norway\u2019s viral rowing celebration, which became one of the team\u2019s defining traditions during its memorable World Cup run.<\/p>\n

Could the World Cup expand?<\/p>\n

FIFA will explore the possibility of expanding the men\u2019s World Cup<\/a> to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Swiss news outlet Bluewin, Infantino said FIFA\u2019s relevant committees would examine the proposal after the conclusion of the 2026 tournament.<\/p>\n

The comments come as FIFA oversees its first 48-team World Cup, following the expansion of the tournament from the 32-team format used at every edition between 1998 and 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point,\u201d Infantino said. \u201cNine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams, to give them this opportunity to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether the World Cup could eventually grow to 64 teams, Infantino said the idea \u201cwill be examined and discussed\u201d by FIFA.<\/p>\n

He argued that the tournament should represent the entire world rather than only football\u2019s traditional powerhouses, saying increased participation can help countries continue to develop.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they\u2019ll lack the incentive to keep improving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Infantino in Qatar<\/p>\n

FIFA President Gianni Infantino met Qatar\u2019s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to offer condolences following the death of the Emir\u2019s father, former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, at Lusail Palace.<\/p>\n

He is expected to return to the\u00a0United States in the next 24 hours. The Gulf Nation hosted the 2022 World Cup, the first in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\"FIFAFIFA President Gianni Infantino meets Qatar\u2019s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani [Amiri Diwan\/Reuters]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached its final four, with France and Spain set to open the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51126,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[367,5,189,6,353,187,358,409],"class_list":["post-51125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-france","tag-football","tag-france","tag-morocco","tag-news","tag-sport","tag-united-states","tag-us-canada","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}