Spain reached the 2026 World Cup final Tuesday, and its opponent won’t be decided for another day — either Jude Bellingham’s England or Lionel Messi’s Argentina stands next in the way of a second world title.
The stakes get sorted Wednesday in Atlanta, where the winner of the tournament’s second semifinal earns a trip to MetLife Stadium and a shot at ending Spain’s run.
England faces Argentina Wednesday, July 15, at 3 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with the winner advancing to face Spain in Sunday’s final, set for 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to a Yahoo Sports breakdown of the bracket. The semifinal losers meet Saturday in a third-place match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Spain advanced by beating France 2-0 Tuesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, extending an unbeaten streak that stretches back more than three years, according to Oddschecker’s semifinal preview. La Roja needed a pair of late Mikel Merino goals off the bench just to escape a 1-0 knockout-round scare against Portugal, then beat Belgium 2-1 to punch its ticket to Tuesday’s semifinal.
France reached Tuesday’s semifinal by dispatching Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals on July 9 at Gillette Stadium outside Boston, with Kylian Mbappé scoring in the 60th minute before setting up Ousmane Dembélé six minutes later, according to ESPN’s recap of that quarterfinal. The result pushed Mbappé to 20 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi on the all-time list.
England’s Jude Bellingham Poses the Biggest Threat
England needed extra time to get past Norway in the quarterfinals, winning 2-1 behind a Jude Bellingham brace that pulled him into the Golden Boot conversation. Harry Kane remains the captain and the tournament’s other headline scorer, but Bellingham has carried England through its toughest moments.
England manager Thomas Tuchel called the performance “sloppy” and said England “were lucky,” prompting Bellingham to push back, telling reporters, “Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we’ve done that again tonight,” as quoted by CBS Sports’ account of the postgame exchange. That friction now follows England into a semifinal against the defending champions, with a final date against Spain hanging in the balance.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi Chases a Repeat
Argentina survived a scare of its own, needing extra time to beat Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals after Julián Álvarez broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martínez added an insurance goal late, according to a Forbes breakdown of both semifinal matchups. Messi, chasing a second straight title, has scored eight goals across six matches, and Argentina has reached the semifinals in three of the last five World Cups. The defending champions have leaned on late-game moments all tournament, a pattern that has followed them from the group stage through the quarterfinals.
The 2026 semifinals mark the first time in tournament history that the top four FIFA-ranked teams have all advanced to the final four, with France, Argentina, Spain and England occupying those spots. Whichever of England or Argentina survives Wednesday will carry into Sunday’s final either the emotional edge of Bellingham’s breakout tournament or the pull of Messi’s bid for a second consecutive championship — and Spain will have to solve either problem to lift the trophy.
Spain’s Next Game: World Cup Final Opponent, Date and Time