The favorites lived up to expectations and advanced to the semi-finals World CupSince when? FIFA decided to redirect the draw and separate the four favorites, it was clear that the favorites have a great chance to reach the very end.
This year Mundial it provided very few surprises. The biggest surprises were Belgium and Switzerland, who took advantage of the favorable draw and duels with the hosts, while Norway kicked out Brazil, whose quality is well below the historical level.
The semi-finals are scheduled for:
14.07. (Tuesday) 21.00: France - Spain
15.07. (Wednesday) 21.00: England - Argentina
Pyrenean chess
France again played routinely in the quarter-finals and defeated Morocco, who played probably the worst game at the World Cup. The Tricolors once again showed why they are the first favorite to win the World Cup. However, one thing worries the French. Top scorer Kylian Mbappe is out with an ankle injury. It is probably a preventive reaction, but a potential injury to Mbappe would be a problem for France.
Although coach Didier Deschamps would have a problem, it would not be a big one because France has the widest staff. If Mbappe cannot start, the coach will have several options. The most logical thing would be for Ousmane Dembele to move to the forward position while Bradley Barkola and Desiree Due would be on the wings, so he would get an attacking dynamic similar to the European club champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Photo: AP Photo/Martin MeissnerKylian Mbappe's injury could be a problem for Deschamps
Rudy Garcia, the Belgian coach, rewrote Portugal's recipe for stopping Spain. Defensively, the Belgians set up in man-on-man defense and went down to the low block. However, Belgium lacked the quality to match Spain. Young star Lamin Jamal played the best game at the World Cup, Spain created favorable situations for him, who was productive. Right back, Pedro Poro intelligently used the tactical naivety of Belgian winger Jeremy Doku and helped Jamal by creating 2v1 situations.
Photo: AP Photo/Gregory BullPedro Poro
Spain's problem in the first half was the passivity of forward Mikel Orjezabal and left winger Alex Baena. Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente broke the game again with changes. After the Spaniards broke Portugal's resistance in the round of 16 with the introduction of Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino, the same thing happened in the quarter-finals against Belgium. In the second part, Fuente gave a freer role to Orjezabal, who filled the empty spaces between the lines. Torres also brought energy and sharpness from the left wing. Merino, the wild card, who scored for the second time after coming off the bench, broke through the opponent's lines with directness, as he did against Portugal, and scored a goal when he was in the right place to send a deflection into the net.
At the end of the match, Nico Williams, the starting left wing of Spain, who is struggling with an injury, also got a chance. The entry of Williams can be a favorable signal for Fuente, because if Williams can play at least one half against France, it will be a big plus for Spain, in order to establish a counterweight to Jamal on the right wing, and thus open up more space for Jamal himself.
Photo: AP Photo/Andre PennerLuis de la Fuente (Spain) v Belgium, World Cup 2026.
The French are playing the semifinals at the World Championships for the eighth time, since 1998 they have reached the final every time, while before that they were eliminated every time. This will be only the second semi-final for the Spaniards, after they won the World Cup in 2010.
They met each other at the world championships only once in 2006 in the round of 16 when France won 3:1. The last match between these two national teams was played last year in the League of Nations, when it was 5:4 for Spain, but it was then that this team of France was created because at one point the Spanish were leading with 4:0 when Deschamps realized that he had to relax his rigidity.
Bookmakers give a slight chance for the victory of France, in the percentages of 60 percent they are given an advantage in the context of placing in the final.
Falklands War
England had the most unpleasant quarter-final opponent of all the semi-finalists. Norway played a compact game and had the opportunity to threaten. The quality of the English came out with another superb game by Jude Bellingham, who scored two goals to reach the total of six goals at the World Cup.
In addition to the problem at right back, England coach Thomas Tuchel also had the old problem of England's rear midfielder, because Arsenal footballer Declan Rice had a virus that had consequences for his release. Tuchel struggled to solve those two problems during the match, Ezri Konsa started the game at right back while Rice was in the middle. Already at halftime, Rice stayed in the dressing room, and Eberechi Eze was on the field, so Tuchel started a little more offensively in the second part because Jude Bellingham was dropped a little lower on the field. The problem was finally solved in the 71st minute when he introduced Rhys James, the right back, who initially played in the middle of the field only for Tuchel to bring him back to the side position by introducing Morgan Rogers.
Photo: AP Photo/Lynne SladkyJude Bellingham (England) celebrates a goal against Norway, World Cup 2026.
Argentina controls the middle of the pitch well, they have four players who, at least in some part of their careers, were the starters of teams at a high European level. If they manage to establish control in the middle of the field and exploit the weaknesses of Rice, they could cause a problem for the English, who chronically struggle if Rice or Elliott Anderson are not at the appropriate level.
Argentina struggled again. She had to go to overtime again. It was again a controversial match from the referee's point of view. But the Gauchos reached the semi-finals after two overtimes and a 2:0 reversal. Argentina was in a subordinate position against Switzerland until the 72nd minute, when Brill Embolo received a red card for simulating 40 meters from the goal. In the sequel, they took the initiative, but they solved the game only in extra time, with goals from Julián Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
Photo: AP Photo/Charlie RiedelJulian Alvarez (Argentina) celebrates a goal against Switzerland
The game of Nick O'Reilly, the left back of the English national team, could be the turning point of the semi-final match. He is a midfielder by nature, but Pep Guardiola at Manchester City turned him into a left-back, who fills the midfield from the flank. In the match against Norway, Orejli even occupied the position of ten in the offensive phase of the game.
That part of the field is the most vulnerable for Argentina because it is where Lionel Messi is, who rests for most of the match and is passive defensively. Rodrigo de Pol, who is in charge of covering Messi, has a huge area to look after, so he is often late. From that position, the Gauchos conceded a goal and against Switzerland, Ricardo Rodríguez played past Dan Endo, who scored a goal.
This is Argentina's sixth place in the semi-finals and they reached the final each time. On the other hand, the English are among the top four world teams for the fourth time.
So far, these two teams have played five times at the World Cup. The English have three wins. The most famous victory is Argentina in Mexico in 1986, when Diego Armando Maradona scored two of the most legendary goals in football history. First, he scored a goal with his hand, thus entering history by the hand of God, and four minutes later he dribbled past the entire English team, including goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and sent the ball into the net.
England is the minimum favorite to reach the final, the bookies give them a 55 percent chance to beat Argentina.
According to what was shown in Central and North America, the semi-finals will be played by national teams that have shown that they can withstand pressure and unpleasant periods of play, teams that have shown the highest level of football and have the best staff. We are expecting a semi-final, in which all four teams have trumps to win and advance to the final, and the games are more even than in all the championships in this century.
Real journalism costs money, and we will not be bought by tycoons and corporations. Support us with a one-time or monthly donation. The time for it is now!
