Winners and Losers From the 2026 FIFA World Cup Semifinals
Lionel Messi against Lamine Yamal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, anyone?
Argentina and Spain broke the hearts of England and France, respectively, to set up a tie for the ages in New York on Sunday. A lot happened along the way.
Let's begin by breaking it down into winners and losers…
Winners: Argentina's Resolve
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There's a reason national teams have a built-up 'feeling' about them. The history of Argentina and England played out in full force in Atlanta, fuelled by moods built up over many years.
Argentina, ever battling, nasty to play against, full of passion and resolve. England, wracked by insane pressure from supporters who expect a repeat of 1966, is prone to letting victory slip through its fingers in dramatic fashion.
Scaloni's side played well in the second half, with improved quality on the ball and the ability to quicken the pace. It's important not to overlook how good this Argentina side is in possession, as their aggressiveness will get all the headlines from the media who want to take away from the win. To stay that calm, and to dictate play when losing, is a great reminder of why they're defending champions.
It's going to be a hell of a final against Spain.
Loser: Tuchel's Negativity
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England were matching Argentina when Anthony Gordon scored the opener in the 55th minute. Thomas Tuchel's team was battling well, putting in a shift and looking like they could get the win. Gordon's goal completely transformed the game and shifted the manager's emphasis for the worse.
The Three Lions immediately clammed up. They got deeper, allowed Lionel Messi to get on the ball, and stopped punishing the space behind Argentina's full-backs.
Lionel Scaloni quickly ramped up Argentina's route to getting the ball into England's box - first by bringing on Nicolas Gonzalez, who targeted a weak Reece James, and then by introducing Rodrigo De Paul and Gonzalo Montiel, who started to find angles behind Djed Spence on the other side.
Tuchel brought on Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly, and Dan Burn as England's first three subs, playing into everything Argentina wanted by leaving the midfield legless and Harry Kane as the breakaway speed. As brilliant as Kane is, that's never going to work.
Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney coming on in the 95th was a symbolic moment in Tuchel's reign as England boss. For all the defensive smarts against Mexico and grit against Norway, it was the picture that told everyone England had missed their chance.
Not reacting positively at 1-1 will follow Tuchel if he never comes good, and, dare I say it, was Gareth Southgate-esque in its ability to unearth the cries of 'typical England'.
Losers: The French Attack
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Ousmane Dembele collected the ball on the right wing in the dying minutes of France's 2-0 defeat to Spain. He sized up his marker, created space, and had nobody to hit in the box.
Kylian Mbappe had given up running, and was hunkered out on the opposite wing with zero interest in finding space. Desire Doue stood close to his captain, equally apathetic, quietly waiting for the full-time whistle. Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola sat on the bench, having done nothing to influence the game.
These were well-beaten, exasperated stars whose plan to just keep rolling through the competition had collided with an avalanche that limited the entire team to an XG of just 0.31.
Nobody managed to create a decent chance; Dembele's tame shot into Unai Simon's arms represented arguably the height of Les Bleus creativity on a night where their mythical attack became human.
Winners: Spain's Defence and Work Rate
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It would be remiss to only tell one side of the story.
Spain almost made the win over France look easy, but they are the only team in the competition who could have sucked the life out of the tournament favourites as they did. Luis de la Fuente's men went about business with incredible intensity and intelligence, even if Didier Deschamps' two-man midfield heavily played into their domination.
The above slide on France may focus on the attack, but there were negligent performances all over the pitch. Lucas Digne's lazy defending led to Lamine Yamal winning a penalty, and a night of torment in which he never had support from his colleagues.
Aurelien Tchouameni looked like a poor replacement for Manu Kone, who was brought on too late and left to wilt against a Spain midfield that routinely had five players stationed close together, with Marc Cucurella and Alex Baena backing up the brilliant Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Olmo. Adrien Rabiot seemed to quietly lose his head when booked and had to be taken off. France just couldn't live with Spain's output.
Then there's that defence. La Roja conceding just one goal en route to the final is a remarkable feat. Pau Cubarsi deserves to win the Young Player of the Tournament for his excellence alongside Aymeric Laporte, who has shepherded the entire operation. Cucurella is in the form of his life, and Pedro Porro is in goalscoring form for the first time in his international career. It has all just clicked.
