KANSAS CITY — The 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final lineup was completed on Saturday after England and Argentina won hard-fought quarter-final matches, joining France and Spain in the tournament's final four.
Defending champions Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 after extra time at Kansas City Stadium to keep alive their bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to retain the men's World Cup title. Alexis Mac Allister gave Argentina an early lead before Dan Ndoye equalized in the second half for Switzerland. The match turned after Swiss forward Breel Embolo was sent off following a VAR review in the 72nd minute.
Argentina capitalized on the numerical advantage in extra time as Julián Álvarez struck from long range in the 112th minute before Lautaro Martínez sealed the result nine minutes later. The victory sends Lionel Scaloni's side into a semi-final against England.
England also required extra time to advance, defeating Norway 2-1 in Miami behind two goals from Jude Bellingham. Norway took the lead through Andreas Schjelderup before Bellingham equalized shortly before halftime. After a scoreless second half that included a disallowed Norwegian goal following a VAR review, Bellingham scored the winner in extra time after a goalkeeping error.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said after the match that his side had not performed at its best despite securing progression, while Norway exited after its deepest World Cup run in nearly three decades.
The other quarter-finals saw France defeat Morocco 2-0 and Spain edge Belgium 2-1, completing a semi-final field made up entirely of former World Cup champions. France and Spain will meet in one semi-final, while England face Argentina in the other.
Argentina's victory also marked another milestone for captain Lionel Messi, whose assist for Mac Allister's opening goal set a new World Cup career record for assists, according to tournament statistics. Messi continues to play a central role in Argentina's attempt to defend the title won in Qatar four years earlier.
According to FIFA's official knockout-stage schedule, the semi-finals are scheduled for July 14 and July 15, with the championship match to be played on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium.
