World Cup last four

The 2026 World Cup has reached its semifinal stage, and the four teams left standing make a strong case for themselves. France meets Spain, and England faces Argentina, with the bracket delivering the top four ranked sides in the world for the first time in the tournament's history. Argentina arrives as defending champion and looks the part, grinding past Switzerland in extra time behind Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez after Lionel Messi's group stage brilliance set the tone early.

England has leaned on Jude Bellingham's late-tournament heroics to survive Norway, even as manager Thomas Tuchel called the win lucky and pushed his side publicly toward sharper football. France and Spain bring the tournament's most complete squads, with Kylian Mbappé's finishing and Spain's midfield control promising the most technically accomplished tie of the round. None of this has unfolded without argument over officiating. VAR intervened aggressively through the group stage and into the round of 16, most notoriously in Egypt's exit against Argentina, where a 2-0 lead vanished after review flagged a foul nearly twenty seconds before the goal that erased it. Egypt's federation called it an injustice. FIFA defended the decision rather than examining it, even as interventions climbed past one hundred through the round of 16, a rate higher than the previous World Cup. Somewhere in the quarterfinals, without announcement, that volume eased. FIFA added a reserve VAR official per match, a quiet concession that review had drifted from correcting obvious errors into re-refereeing entire passages of play.

Both threads matter as the semifinals begin. Four sides built on genuine quality have earned this stage, and the football should be allowed to decide it. VAR's retreat is welcome if it means restraint, but restraint applied inconsistently is not the same as a clear standard. FIFA owes the remaining fixtures something firmer than a quiet pullback.