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The last two places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup The semifinals are set to be played on Saturday when England take on Norway before defending champions Argentina take on Switzerland.
France and Spain have already booked their last four places, leaving four teams fighting to finish the series. England and Argentina enter their quarter-finals as favourites, according to Opta’s top scorers, but Norway and Switzerland will look to cause another upset.
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list of 4 itemsend of series
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the process?
- Norway vs England Saturday, July 11, at 5pm (21:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, US
- Argentina vs Switzerland Saturday, July 11, 8pm (01:00 GMT Sunday) – Kansas City Stadium, US
Who has reached the semifinals?
- France vs SpainTuesday, July 14 (19:00GMT) – Dallas Stadium
- Norway/England vs Argentina/Switzerland, July 15 (19:00GMT) – Atlanta Stadium
What are the Norway vs England predictions?
England and Norway meet for the first time in the World Cup, although they have met 12 times. England won eight to Norway’s two, and the Scandinavians have failed to do well in the last four meetings. Their last meeting ended in a 1-0 victory in England in September 2014.
Opta’s supercomputers make England favorites to reach the semifinals, giving the Three Lions a 50.4 percent chance of winning the game inside 90 minutes based on 25,000 pre-match predictions. England’s overall probability of progressing, including extra time and penalties, rose to 62.3 percent.
Norway is given a 25.1% chance to win in time, while a draw after 90 minutes happened in 24.6% of predictions.
What are the Argentina vs Switzerland predictions?
History strongly favors Argentina going into this quarterfinal. The defending champions are winless in the last seven meetings with Switzerland, winning five and drawing two.
Opta have made Argentina favorites to book a place in the semifinals. Based on 25,000 pre-match predictions, the supercomputer gives Lionel Messi’s team a 57.1% chance of winning within 90 minutes.
Switzerland is given an 18.7 percent chance of winning in normal time, while 24.2 percent of attempts end in 90 minutes. Overall, Argentina goes to the semifinals in 69.4 percent of attempts, leaving Switzerland with a 30.6 percent chance of going to England or Norway.
What other things are going on?
England vs Norway: Battle of the Vikings
Fans are embracing the historic “battle of the Vikings” during the England vs Norway match.
Portugal have hired Jorge Jesus as their new coach after their World Cup disappointment
Portugal have turned to veteran coach Jorge Jesus in a bid to revive the national team after a disappointing World Cup campaign.
The Portugal Football Federation confirmed on Friday that the 71-year-old will replace Roberto Martinez, who was announced earlier this week following Portugal’s 1-0 defeat in the round of 16 by Spain.
Jesus returns to international football after a long club career that also included Benfica, Sporting CP and, most recently, Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, where he worked with Cristiano Ronaldo.
His appointment comes amid scrutiny of Portugal’s performance at the World Cup and Martinez’s continued reliance on Ronaldo, 41, whose role in the showpiece has been criticized by fans and pundits alike.
Although Ronaldo said the 2026 World Cup will be his last, he has not announced whether he wants to continue playing for Portugal. Jesus, who described the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as a “symbol” of Portuguese football, said. he wants to talk to Ronaldo before any decision is made about his international future.
Why Erling Haaland became Mexico’s unlikely hero
Haaland unexpectedly became a Mexican icon on social media after embracing fans who are still in danger of exiting the World Cup in Mexico and England.
The Norwegian striker leaned into the joke, in response to the fact that the Mexican fans will take Norway as their team in the quarterfinals. After a viral video of Haaland singing traditional Viking and banda music, he responded from his account: “I heard 🇲🇽🌮.”
The online romance took off when a fan encouraged him to end England instead of Mexico. Haaland responded with a word that has become a rallying cry among Mexican supporters at this World Cup: “Y si si? 🇲🇽😉” (“What shall I do?”).
Excluding Morocco from cohosting the 2030 World Cup
World Cup tour in Morocco it ended in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 loss to France, failing to repeat the tournament that captured the world’s attention four years ago.
The Lions of Atlas were also stopped by Les Bleus, but their campaign was once again very important. Morocco became the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup in a row, after knocking out the Netherlands before losing in Boston.
Attention now turns to 2030, when Morocco will participate in the World Cup along with Portugal and Spain and will only be the hosts.
“We have a young team that wants to do well and will continue to do so,” Ouahbi said after the loss. “We have talented players who will help us grow.”
England’s Kane avoids comparisons with Haaland
Harry Kane played down comparisons with Haaland on the eve of England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway, insisting the two strikers are too different to judge each other.
The meeting also has more significance in the Golden Boot competition. Haaland has scored seven goals in the competition, one more than Kane, both chasing leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who have eight each.
When asked who was the best player, Kane refused to give a direct answer.
“We are completely different players,” the England captain said. We are all number nine, but we play in different ways. I like to get on the ball a lot, and I can play as an out-and-out striker.
Instead, Kane praised Haaland’s unique ability to score goals.
“Physically, he is a machine, a beast. His finishing is at a very high level and his goal record speaks for itself,” Kane said. “I have a lot of respect for him, although we hope he will have a quiet day tomorrow.”
Mbappe keeps the French greats level on the ice as they bid for the semifinal
France may be just two matches away from another World Cup title, but captain Kylian Mbappe believes it’s not too late to catch up with the country’s biggest sides.
Les Bleus booked their place in the semifinals with a 2-0 win over Morocco, continuing an impressive run in which Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele combined for 13 goals. However, the French captain insisted that this generation still deserves its place in history.
“I won the World Cup in 2018 and finished second in 2022, but this team didn’t achieve anything,” Mbappe said. “Maybe they have a lot of potential because this team has a lot of positives, but potential alone doesn’t make you a strong team.”
Jude Bellingham and Haaland: His teammates are rivals at the World Cup
One of the most unexpected stories of the World Cup has nothing to do with tactics or trophies.
As England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland meet in the quarter-finals on Saturday, fans will be looking for more than two of football’s brightest stars. Their friendship, which was forged during their time together at Borussia Dortmund, has become the talk of the town abroad.
Old footage of the pair laughing, hugging and celebrating together has resurfaced on television, delighting fans and providing a rare glimpse of the true friendship between the two players who are now set to stand on opposite sides in one of the World Cup’s biggest matches.
