Argentina, Spain, France, England: A World Cup Semifinal Round Like No Other

A historic World Cup semifinal round is officially set.For the first time since FIFA introduced its world rankings in 1992, each of the top four ranked teams entering the tournament have reached the semifinals. Argentina (No. 1), Spain (No. 2), France (No. 3), and England (No. 4) were the highest ranked teams in the world before the opening match, and each nation has lived up to those expectations.France and Spain will square off on July 14 in Arlington, while England and Argentina meet the following day in Atlanta. The winners of each match will meet in the final on July 19 in East Rutherford. The semifinal field has also been just as remarkable from a betting standpoint. Before the tournament, Spain (+450), France (+450), England (+700), and Argentina (+900) all ranked among the five favorites to lift the trophy. The only pre-tournament top-five betting favorite not to reach the semifinals was Portugal (+700), making this one of the chalkiest final fours the World Cup has ever seen. Since 1994, this is the first World Cup in which all four semifinalists were below +1000 on the oddsboard before the tournament began. Below, we broke down all of the semifinalists back to the 1994 edition, as that was the first World Cup in which rankings were used. We additionally provided context on just how historic each of the 2026 semifinalists’ runs have been. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. World Cup Semifinalists Since 1994 2022 Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2018: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2026 Argentina (1) 2014: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2010: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2026 Spain (2) 2006: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2002: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2026 France (3) 1998: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 1994: Pre-Tournament Favorites Actual Semifinalists 2026 England (4)