[Official] Never seen before in World Cup history: The top four FIFA rankings fill the semifinals bracket

*This content was translated by AI.

No surprises occurred. The top four teams in the FIFA rankings — France, Argentina, Spain, and England — have filled the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup semifinals (quarterfinals) bracket. This is a first in World Cup history.

FIFA-ranked No. 1 Argentina secured its spot in the semifinals on the last train. In the round of 16 match held on the 12th (Korean time) at Kansas City Stadium in the United States, Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 after a tense extra-time battle. After finishing regulation time at 1-1, Argentina scored two goals in extra time to advance to the final. Switzerland is ranked No. 19 in the FIFA rankings.

Argentina will face England, which also reached the semifinals after a tense extra-time match in an earlier round of 16 game. England, ranked No. 4 in the FIFA rankings, defeated Norway (ranked 31st), where Erling Haaland remained scoreless, thanks to a decisive goal by Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) scored three minutes into the first half of extra time. This sets up a matchup between No. 1-ranked Argentina and No. 4-ranked England.

Moreover, France, ranked No. 3 in the FIFA rankings, was the first to reach the semifinals by decisively defeating Morocco (ranked 7th) with a 2-0 victory. The following day, Spain, ranked No. 2, defeated Belgium (ranked 9th) 2-1. France and Spain will now face each other in a matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams.

According to football statistics platform Squawka, this is the first time in World Cup history that the top four FIFA-ranked teams have filled the semifinals bracket. In past tournaments, there were cases where underdogs created a "semifinal myth" — such as Croatia and Morocco in the 2022 Qatar tournament, or Belgium and Croatia in the 2018 Russia tournament. This time, however, no such surprises occurred. The FIFA rankings of the teams eliminated in the round of 16 were No. 7, No. 9, No. 19, and No. 31. Had even one of these teams reached the semifinals, it would have been considered an "upset," but the barrier of the top four proved too high.

With the top four FIFA-ranked teams filling the semifinal bracket, predictions for who would reach the final or win the tournament were intense. Football statistics firm Opta projected France and Spain to have a 57% and 43% chance, respectively, of reaching the final. On the other side of the bracket, England and Argentina were seen as a tight 51%-49% contest. In terms of championship odds, France led with 33.81%, followed by Spain (24.16%), England (22.97%), and Argentina (20.06%).

The semifinal matches begin on the 15th at 4 a.m. U.S. time at Dallas Stadium in the United States, with France facing Spain. The following day at the same time, England and Argentina will clash at Atlanta Stadium in the United States. The highly anticipated final will be held on the 20th at 4 a.m. U.S. time at New York-New Jersey Stadium in the United States. A third-place match will take place the morning before the final at 6 a.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.