World Cup 2026: The top four ranked teams played the semi-finals for the first time

The top four teams in the FIFA World Rankings played their first ever semi-final.

And the progress of Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3) and England (4) for the 2026 World Cup has been helped by FIFA’s changes.

They were assigned four quarters, unlike the rematch, so that they could not meet before the end of the alphabet.

For that to happen, they each had to beat their team – which they did.

Due to the draw, Spain would not have met Argentina before the final.

England and France were also drawn opposite each other in the knockout stages and were on course to face either Spain or Argentina in the semi-finals if they all went through.

FIFA said the move would ensure “competitive balance” by creating “two separate routes to the semi-finals”.

And now the semi-finals will be played between France and Spain on Tuesday, and England and Argentina on Wednesday.

A similar approach applies to Wimbledon and the new Champions League format, where seeds are placed in pairs.

The FIFA ranking was introduced in 1994, but was not used for that year’s tournament.

Belgium (2022), Germany (2018), Spain (2014), Italy (2010) and France (2002) finished in the top four and never made it out of the group.

In the remaining World Cups since 1998 – not all of the top-ranked teams have made it to the semi-finals.