France vs Spain
Dallas Stadium, Tuesday 20:00 BST
Two of Europe's strongest squads clash in what promises to be a World Cup classic. France, led by Kylian Mbappe—who has eight goals so far, one behind Lionel Messi in the all-time scoring race—boast depth across the pitch. Ousmane Dembele scored in the quarter-final win over Morocco, taking his tally to five, while Michael Olise leads assists with five. That depth could prove vital against Spain, who beat France 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
Spain, however, have yet to hit top form. Lamine Yamal has only one goal, and Mikel Oyarzabal has gone quiet in the last two matches. Late heroics from substitute Mikel Merino saw them past Portugal and Belgium. Spain will look for a breakthrough performance from Yamal, who turns 19 on the eve of the match.
Key stats: France reach their eighth World Cup semi-final, equaling Brazil; only Germany (12) have more. Spain are on a 36-match unbeaten run (27 wins, nine draws) since a 1-0 loss to Colombia in March 2024. This is only the second World Cup meeting between the sides; France won 3-1 in the 2006 last 16.
England vs Argentina
Atlanta Stadium, Wednesday 20:00 BST
England reach their second World Cup semi-final since 2018, but face defending champions Argentina, who stand in the way of England's first final appearance in 60 years. The fixture is steeped in rivalry, 40 years after Diego Maradona's infamous quarter-final performance.
Argentina have Lionel Messi, the World Cup's all-time top scorer (eight goals, tied with Mbappe), who has never faced England. But England boast Jude Bellingham—who scored twice in each of the past two knockout games, a feat last achieved by Maradona in 1986—and Harry Kane with six goals.
Neither team has been at their fluent best, scrapping through knockout stages. England manager Thomas Tuchel has called for more quality after the quarter-final win over Norway.
Key stats: England have reached four major tournament semi-finals since 2018, matching their total prior to 2018. They have won four consecutive World Cup games, their longest run in a single edition since 1966. Tuchel is only the second England manager unbeaten in his first six World Cup games (five wins, one draw), after Alf Ramsey in 1966. Argentina have reached the last four in three of the past four World Cups (2014, 2022, 2026); before 2014, they hadn't done so since 1990.