Two matches remain. Spain and Argentina go to the Final. France and England play for third place. Before the last chapter of this FIFA World Cup 2026™ is written, here is where each of the four sides stands — and what the semi-finals confirmed about each of them.
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final live on ZEE 5 — ZEE5 FIFA Subscription to the Quarterly Plan at ₹799 and stream every remaining match in India.
-
Spain
Spain are not just in the Final. They are the best team at this FIFA World Cup 2026™ by a margin that is now difficult to dispute. In Dallas, they dismantled France — a side the entire world had been calling the tournament’s most dangerous — without being seriously threatened. It was not a surprise. It was a continuation.
This is what Spain have done in every competition under Luis de la Fuente. They defeated France in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final. They defeated France in the UEFA Nations League Final. And now they have done it again, on the world’s biggest stage, 2-0, with a performance that was so controlled it barely felt like the semi-final of a FIFA World Cup. There has not been a match in this tournament where Spain had to break sweat — the only blemish on their record is the 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde in the group stage, which already feels like a footnote.
De la Fuente’s tactics are at their peak. His selections have been right every time. His substitutions have changed matches. His players trust the system completely and execute it with such fluency that it looks effortless. Spain go into the Final as favourites, and they have earned that status honestly.
-
Argentina
Nobody builds a tournament like Argentina. England led 1-0 in Atlanta. Argentina were staring at the end of their title defence. The response was not desperation. It was determined, relentless pressure, Messi drifting into the spaces England’s defensive block left unguarded, and two goals in seven minutes that turned the match on its head.
Rarely do you see a team with this particular combination of individual quality and collective refusal. They do not dominate matches the way Spain do. They do not control games from minute one. What they do instead is keep going — press, press, press — until the opposition makes one mistake, and then they punish it completely. England had done everything right for 30 minutes after Gordon’s goal. It was not enough. Against Argentina, it is never enough until the final whistle.
-
France
The world spent the weeks leading into the semi-final saying France were the best team in the tournament. They had the records. The clean sheets. The goal difference. And then Spain showed up in Dallas and France’s midfield — the engine room the entire team runs through — collapsed completely. Tchouaméni had no control. Olise was neutralised. Rabiot was booked early and removed at half-time as a liability. Mbappé, the player France needed did not get a shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
And yet. France are still a squad of world-class players. Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise, Maignan — none of them stopped being elite footballers because of one poor night. The 3rd Place match against England is not a consolation prize for a bad team. It is a fixture between two sides who both came within touching distance of the Final. England will be tested. France will want to respond.
-
England
They had a real chance. Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal gave England the lead, and for half an hour the defensive block Tuchel constructed held Argentina out. England were minutes from the Final. Then Argentina found the gaps — not from Spain-style possession football, but from the kind of patient, probing pressure that eventually opens any defensive shape that is asked to hold for too long without the ball.
England set up to protect a lead. They did it well — better than many sides would have — and still conceded twice. That is the most honest summary of where this England team is: capable of beating anyone, capable of leading in a semi-final, but not yet able to control the conditions that decide the match on their own terms. The 3rd Place match offers one more game, one more chance for Bellingham and Kane to add to their Golden Boot tallies, and one more opportunity for this squad to end the tournament with something better.
Spain vs Argentina — the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final is coming to ZEE 5. Watch it live in India.
Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.
