World Cup 2026: FIFA rankings confirmed on the pitch

The 2026 World Cup, hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is proving that the FIFA world hierarchy is now being reflected on the field. For the first time in tournament history, the top four nations in the global rankings have all secured their spots in the semi-finals.

France booked their ticket by eliminating Morocco (2-0), while Spain overcame Belgium (2-1). England edged past Norway (2-1), and Argentina outclassed Switzerland (3-1).

The top four FIFA-ranked nations in the semi-finals

Never before have the top four teams in the FIFA world rankings all reached the final four of a World Cup. The 2026 edition marks a historic turning point.

The final four kicks off on Tuesday with a highly anticipated clash between France and Spain. The second semi-final, on Wednesday, will see Argentina face England in a showdown loaded with the scent of revenge between two footballing giants.

According to Opta statistics, there's another remarkable feature of this edition: all four semi-finalists are former world champions. This scenario has only occurred twice before, in the 1970 and 1990 tournaments.

Argentina is the most decorated side among the four, with three World Cup titles (1978, 1986, and 2022). France boasts two triumphs (1998 and 2018), while England (1966) and Spain (2010) have each etched their names into the competition's history books once.

Roger De Sa chooses France as the favorite to win the World Cup!

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

Related teams and leagues

World Cup