Semi-finals
What are the World Cup 2026 Semi-finals?
The Semi-finals are the fourth knockout round of the 2026 World Cup and reduce the 4 surviving teams from the Quarter-finals to the 2 finalists. Two single-leg matches, played on consecutive days from July 14 to July 15, 2026:
- Tuesday July 14: Semi-final 1 (top half of bracket) — at AT&T Stadium, Arlington
- Wednesday July 15: Semi-final 2 (bottom half of bracket) — at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
The two semi-final winners advance to the final on Sunday July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium. The two semi-final losers play the third-place play-off on Saturday July 18.
How are the Semi-final pairings determined at World Cup 2026?
The Semi-final pairings are fixed by the bracket — no redraw. The 4 Quarter-final winners are placed into the 2 Semi-finals based on bracket position:
- SF1: Winner of QF1 vs Winner of QF2 (both from the top half of the bracket)
- SF2: Winner of QF3 vs Winner of QF4 (both from the bottom half of the bracket)
This means the bracket guarantees the two finalists come from opposite halves — the two sides of the bracket are structurally separated all the way from the Round of 32 until the final. Two teams from the same group at the group stage cannot meet until the final at earliest.
What happens if a Semi-final match is tied?
Identical to other knockout rounds: if level after 90 minutes, two periods of 15 minutes of extra time, then a penalty shoot-out if still level. No replay, no away-goals rule (single-leg matches only).
Penalty shoot-outs at the Semi-final stage are historically rare but consequential — Argentina beat Netherlands on penalties at the 2022 Quarter-final, then Croatia beat Brazil on penalties at the same 2022 Quarter-final round. The deepest penalty shoot-out at a World Cup Semi-final remains the 1990 Italy-Argentina shoot-out at Stadio San Paolo (Argentina won 4-3 after 1-1 in regulation), and 1990 West Germany-England (West Germany won 4-3 after 1-1 in regulation).
Which countries have reached the most World Cup Semi-finals?
Germany has reached the Semi-final stage 13 times — the most of any country in World Cup history. Brazil has reached 11 Semi-finals, Italy 8, Argentina 6, France 7, Netherlands 5, England 3, Spain 3. Of these eight countries, only Italy is absent from the 2026 World Cup field; the other seven are all in the 48-team draw with realistic Semi-final ambitions.
The 2022 World Cup Semi-finalists were Argentina, France, Croatia and Morocco — Morocco being the first African team to reach the Semi-final stage. At 2026 the four projected favourites are Argentina (defending champions, Group J), France (2018 winners, 2022 finalists, Group I), Spain (FIFA #1 going into 2026, Group H) and Brazil (under Carlo Ancelotti at his first World Cup as a national-team coach, Group C).