Football fans are eagerly awaiting the semi-final clashes of the 2026 World Cup, as the French national team faces its Spanish counterpart, while the English national team meets its Argentine counterpart.
The France vs. Spain match will take place in the first semi-final on Tuesday, July 14, at 10 p.m. Cairo time, at Dallas Stadium.
Meanwhile, the England vs. Argentina clash will unfold in the same stage on Wednesday, July 15, at 10 p.m., at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Barcelona’s official website noted that with the arrival of the four highest-ranked teams in FIFA, the club has established itself as an exceptional champion of the knockout stage, achieving two record figures.
Barcelona flies solo with 10 players
Barcelona has achieved the largest representation of its players in the history of the World Cup semi-final stage, with 10 players present in this decisive phase.
The Blaugrana dominate Spain’s squad with eight players: Juan García, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Pablo Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal.
In addition, defender Jules Koundé is with the French national team, and newcomer Anthony Gordon is with England.
Barcelona breaks previous records
The official Barcelona website noted that this exceptional presence surpassed the club’s previous record set at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, with eight players in the squad of Spain, champions of that edition.
This figure was repeated at the 2018 Russia World Cup across four different national teams, making the Blaugrana the club with the most representation in the golden square worldwide in the current edition.
Atlético Madrid and Arsenal in pursuit
Spanish club Atlético Madrid came in second on the list of clubs with the most representation, with nine players distributed between Argentina’s quintet (Molina, Álvarez, Almada, Giuliano, and Musso) and Spain’s quartet (Pubill, Grimaldo, Baena, and Llorente).
Meanwhile, English club Arsenal finished third with eight players: one defender with France (Saliba), a Spanish trio (Merino, Zubimendi, and Raya), and an English quartet (Rice, Saka, Madueke, and Eze).
