FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi-finals: Results, Fixtures, Man of The Match & Key Highlights

The FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal clashes are starting and this stage creates excitement from fans all around the world. Teams like Spain, France, Argentina, and England are the final four semifinalists. In the first semifinal set to be played between France vs Spain, and 2nd between England vs Argentina on 15th and 16th July, 2026. Each of the teams is trying its best to book its berth in the final on 20th June, 2026. Here are all the details about the results, fixtures, and road to the final for the World Cup 2026.

In the first semi-final, Spain have eliminated the tournament’s hot favorite France by 2-0 and booked their place in the final after the 2010 World Cup victory. In 2nd match, defending champion Argentina secured the final spot after the comeback in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Semi-Final 1: Spain Dominates France

France was one of the tournament’s favourites to reach the semi-final, having gone through the tournament without a single loss, but Spain fought hard and did not give France the man to counter-attack their opponents.

Luis de la Fuente’s (Spain Coach) team had good possession of the ball and played aggressively when needed, not allowing France to start any counter-attacks. Spain’s arrangers made sure their midfield and defensive players executed well with Marc and his partners.

Spain performed better throughout the match, created more opportunities, maintained a proper speed of the game, and rightly earned their participation in the World Cup final.

Match Highlights

Mikel Oyarzabal Scores First Goal

• Spain found a way to score in the first half of the match.
• The opportunity for Spain to score opened up thanks to the efforts of the Lamine Yamal, who forced the French defender Lucas Digne to commit a foul in the box.
• Mikel Oyarzabal answered the call to take the penalty kick and went on to bury the ball into the net.
• The goal awarded Spain for playing better than the opposition and put pressure on France.

Pedro Porro Makes It 2-0

• Spain then doubled its advantage after the great play from Pedro Porro and Dani Olmo.
• They executed a quick one-two pass that ended up with the Porro’s shot past the French goalkeeper Maignan.

Statistics of the Match

Spain’s dominance was clearly reflected in the statistics.

• Final Score: Spain 2-0 France
• Number of Big Chances: Spain 3, France 0
• Expected Goals: Spain 1.63, France 0.3
• Total Shots: 10 each
• Corners: France 7, Spain fewer
• Clean Sheet for Spain: Yes

Although both the two teams had the same number of shots on goal, Spain created far more goal-scoring opportunities and managed to control the France’s attack.

Spain Qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026 Final

• After this triumph, Spain has moved on to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, where it will compete against the winner of the semi-final matchup between England and Argentina.
• After winning the UEFA Euro championship and now making it to the final of the World Cup, Spain has established firmly their status as one of the best national teams in the world.

Semi Final 2: Argentina Comeback Victory Against England

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium semi-final turned out to be one of the most thrilling ends of the competition. Argentina overcame England to secure a sensational final against Spain, while England will meet France in a third-place encounter.

Summary of the Game

The first half was incredibly tough for both teams, with England eventually taking the lead thanks to a goal from Anthony Gordon in the second half.

Argentina did not give up and continued attacking until the very end.

And finally, contributions from Argentina star Lionel Messi provided the assist in,

85th minute: Enzo Fernández scored from a distance, equalizing the score.
90+2 minute: Lautaro Martínez scored by converting Lionel Messi’s assist.

With this, Argentina won the semi-final with the score of 2-1.

Messi Delievered it Again

Lionel Messi did not get his name on the scoresheet but played a pivotal role in both goals that Argentina scored.

He assisted the Enzo Fernández’s equalizer and crossed for Lautaro Martínez to score the winning goal.

Messi enhanced his record of making contributions in goal-scoring for numerous matches in the World Cup.

Messi is only 39 years old and is still the creative mind playing like a maestro.

England’s Heartbreak After Exit

England was close to reaching its first World Cup final since 1966 after taking the lead in the second half.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford did a great job in denying the Argentina from scoring, but the constant pressure was eventually too much for England.

Having conceded an equalizer, England failed to level the match, and eventually Martínez scored the winner and eliminated the England from the tournament.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinal Schedule & Results

Date	Time	Semi Final	Result of Match	Man of The Match	Venue
July 15, 2026	12:30 AM	France vs Spain	0-2	Pedro Porro	AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
July 16, 2026	12:30 AM	England vs Switzerland	1-2	Lionel Messi	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Teams qualifying for each semi final head to the final and compete for the World Cup on 20th July, 2026.