After over a month of football action, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is down to its final four. And despite the chaos that has unfolded off the field, world order has been restored on it, with the top four teams, according to FIFA rankings, progressing to the semi-finals.
France and Argentina remain on course for a repeat of the 2022 final. However, the defending champions have to tackle bitter rivals England in the semi-final on Wednesday, a day after France face-off against Spain. Here are four things to watch for as the World Cup winds to its finale.
Fabled rivalry
One of the most fabled rivalries in football will resume on Wednesday as Argentina battle England for a spot in the finals.
History, politics and a touch of sporting genius shaped the rivalry that began innocuously in 1962. Four years later, Argentina clashed with England in the World Cup quarterfinals.
The South Americans opted for physical, aggressive football and their captain Antonio Rattín was sent off in the first half for two offences within three minutes. Thoroughly bemused by the tactics, England manager Alf Ramsey labelled them ‘animals’ even as England won the match 1-0 and went on to win their only World Cup so far.
In the 1980s, the England-Argentina contests took place against the backdrop of the Falklands War. The simmering tension between the teams reached a flashpoint in 1986, as Argentina beat England 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinal thanks to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’.
While Maradona and England goalkeeper Peter Shilton rose for the ball, the Argentine punched the ball out of the goalkeeper’s reach and into the net. The referee let the goal stand and Argentina jumped into lead in the 51st minute. Maradona followed it up with the ‘Goal of the Century’, dribbling past half the England team to beat Shilton yet again and guide his team to a 2-1 victory.
In 1998, as England lost to Argentina on penalties in the last 16, the match gained attention for David Beckham’s red card after his kick at Diego Simeone in the 48th minute. It was a match where England needed their poster boy to keep calm and carry on, but ended up as the villain of the piece.
As they meet in yet another knockout, England lead the head-to-head 3-1-1 in World Cups.
Irresistible France vs immovable Spain
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente called the final four clash against France the ‘final before the final.’
Tuesday’s semifinal sees the reigning European champions take on 2018 world champions and 2022 runners-up France. It is also a contrast of style as the most attacking team goes up against the best defence in the competition.
France have been the best team going forward. Though Argentina have scored more goals (17) as compared to France (16), the European team, according to Opta stats, has more shots at goal, more shots on target and highest average of goals per 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, Spain has conceded only one goal so far – against Belgium during their 2-1 win in the quarterfinal. Of the four teams remaining, Spain has the least number of shots faced (5.7) and the best save percentage (86) per 90 minutes. Their high-pressing, possession-dominated gameplay will be thoroughly tested against France’s pace and flair.
Race for the Golden Boot
The race for the Golden Boot Award is heating up with the World Cup's top two scorers still in the hunt. France captain Kylian Mbappe and Argentina skipper Lionel Messi have scored eight goals each in six matches so far.
The French forward, though tied with Messi, leads the race as it stands, having made one more assist than the two from the Argentine. In the overall list of most World Cup goals scored though, Messi has 21 to Mbappe’s 20.
Also in contention are England's Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane, both on six goals. Kane had won the award in the 2018 edition with six goals, while Mbappe took the prize with eight goals in 2022.
Erling Haaland's race is run, however, as he ended with seven goals after Norway was eliminated in the quarter-final by England.
Spain’s super-sub
The Spanish football team has a galaxy of stars, with the 19-year-old winger Lamine Yamal shining the brightest. However, manager De la Fuente usually turns to one player when the chips are down: super-sub Mikel Merino.
Prior to the World Cup, the player who dons the No.6 jersey once worn by Andres Iniesta, had only one goal at a major tournament. And an important one at that. He headed home a 119th minute winning goal to help Spain beat Germany in the quarterfinal of Euro 2024.
At this World Cup, he came off the bench against Portugal to score in the 91st minute in a 1-0 win. A few days later, as Spain were tied 1-1 against a resurgent Belgium team, Merino was quickest to reach a rebound and slot home yet another winning goal, this time in the 88th minute to take his team to the final four.
Will Merino rise to the occasion yet again?
Deepti Patwardhan is an independent sportswriter based in Mumbai.