Your World Cup cheat sheet to the teams headed to the semifinals 43%
By Juliana Kim94%
7/14/2026, 2:02:48 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 3 faulty reasoning types, including Optimism Bias and Recency Bias, with Halo Effect as the most egregious example at 10.1% saturation with 50 hits. Analysis detected 93 faulty-reasoning hits from 496 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 47% and a BS Rank of 43% (8,932 of 15,665 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 57.00% of the article peer group.
We're at the final stretch of the World Cup.
It feels like just yesterday, international fans were arriving in the U.S. and marveling at Buc-ee's and unlimited free soda.
The semifinals are:
* Tuesday: France vs.
Spain @ 3 pm EST in Dallas
* Wednesday: England vs.
Argentina @ 3 pm EST in Atlanta
By Wednesday night, we'll know who's heading to the final, which is this Sunday at 3 pm EST in New Jersey.
Here's what to know about the teams going into the last four games:
### 🇫🇷 France
<b>Last World Cup trophy: </b>2018
Reaching the final will be a chance at rewriting history for France.
The team made it to the last match in 2022 but lost to Argentina.
This time, France has returned with a vengeance — particularly thanks to Kylian Mbappé, who's responsible for eight goals.
### 🇪🇸 Spain
<b>Last World Cup trophy: </b>2010
One of the tournament's highlights has been watching Spain's 19-year-old star Lamine Yamal take on titan after titan.
Now, his team is facing its biggest contender yet.
While this will be the first time Yamal and Mbappé are battling at the World Cup, the two have played against each other before.
Most recently, in 2024, when Yamal helped his team come out on top.
### 🏴 England
<b>Last World Cup trophy: </b>1966
A trip to the final would perhaps be sweetest for England.
The team hasn't won a World Cup in 60 years — despite reaching the quarter or semi-finals multiple times since then.
Nearly all of England's goals were made to Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
My eyes will be on the duo and my ears on the fans in case they sing "Hey Jude" like they did at the last game.
### 🇦🇷 Argentina
<b>Last World Cup trophy: </b>2022
All eyes are on Argentina to see if the team can be the first to win the World Cup back-to-back in decades.
To do so, the defending champion will face England.
The two haven't competed on the global stage in 24 years.
"It'll be a special match because I've never played against England," Lionel Messi told FIFA.
What we know for sure: Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS will be there, performing at the World Cup's first-ever final half-time show.
What else to watch this week:
🎉 The global sleepover at our house is wrapping up.
So many international visitors from across the globe visiting cities coast to coast, has left many feeling like this summer has been one big party at our place.
For immigrant communities in New York, it's been a welcome respite.
💻 The World Cup has been the perfect distraction for so many it has actually cut into the productivity of the global economy.
While some are watching to see if it bounces back, we're curious what will bring us together and captivate our collective attention next?
Copyright 2026 NPR
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