The World Cup final four is set after England outlasted Norway 2-1 in Miami and Argentina finally pulled away from Switzerland 3-1 in K.C. It is “pretty much the dream” World Cup semifinal line-up and “almost as good as it gets.” It is a “salivating” quartet of team remaining and “also precisely the final four that FIFA wanted.” This is the first time since FIFA’s rankings began in 1992 that the top four teams have all reached the semifinals of the men’s World Cup (THE ATHLETIC, 7/12). This is the “perfect semifinal field.” A Having the U.S. or Mexico in the final four “wouldn’t have been that farfetched given their home-field advantage.” But it “wouldn’t have been nearly as strong” (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/12).
The semifinals progress was “aided by a FIFA change for the 2026 World Cup.” Spain, Argentina, France and England were “put in separate quadrants of the draw so they could not meet before the semi-finals.” FIFA described the move as “ensuring ‘competitive balance’ by establishing ‘two separate pathways to the semi-finals’” (BBC.com, 7/11).
