The rare World Cup semifinal feat achieved by France, Spain, England and Argentina
For only the third time in World Cup history, all four semifinalists have previously lifted the trophy.
For the first time in history, the top four teams in the FIFA World Ranking will contest the 2026 World Cup semifinals, with France facing Spain in Dallas on Tuesday and England taking on Argentina in Atlanta the following day.
A repeat World Cup winner guaranteed
The lineup for the last four also guarantees we will have a repeat winner, with all four nations having previously lifted the World Cup. But how common is that at this stage of the tournament?
The answer is not very.
In the World Cup’s 96-year history, this is only the third time that all four semifinalists have already won the competition.
A rare World Cup semifinal lineup
The first time it happened was in 1970, when Brazil (1958, 1962), Italy (1934, 1938), West Germany (1954), and Uruguay (1930, 1950) made up the semifinal lineup.
The feat was repeated 20 years later in 1990, when West Germany (1954, 1974), Argentina (1978, 1986), Italy (1934, 1938, 1982) and England (1966) reached the last four.
Since then, two of this year’s semifinalists, France and Spain, won their first World Cups in 1998 and 2010 respectively, with Les Bleus adding a second in 2018.
Argentina, of course, ended their 36-year drought in Qatar, securing their third World Cup victory in 2022.
England, meanwhile, are out to end 60 years of hurt, with their only triumph coming on home soil in 1966.
Semifinalists who had never won the World Cup
| World Cup | Semifinalists who had never won before that tournament |
|---|---|
| 1930 | Argentina, United States, Yugoslavia, Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria |
| 1938 | Hungary, Brazil, Sweden |
| 1954 | West Germany, Hungary, Austria |
| 1958 | Brazil, Sweden, France, West Germany |
| 1962 | Czechoslovakia, Chile, Yugoslavia |
| 1966 | England, West Germany, Portugal, Soviet Union |
| 1970 | None |
| 1974 | Netherlands, Poland |
| 1978 | Argentina, Netherlands |
| 1982 | Poland, France |
| 1986 | Belgium, France |
| 1990 | None |
| 1994 | Sweden, Bulgaria |
| 1998 | Croatia, Netherlands |
| 2002 | South Korea, Turkey |
| 2006 | Germany, Portugal |
| 2010 | Netherlands |
| 2014 | Netherlands |
| 2018 | Belgium, Croatia |
| 2022 | Croatia, Morocco |
| 2026 | None |
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