Football fans around the world are preparing for the semi-final matches of the 2026 World Cup.
The Argentine national team secured the last ticket to the golden square in the World Cup tournament, after defeating Switzerland (3-1) this morning, Sunday.
The Argentine national team will clash with its English counterpart in the golden square, while France faces the Spanish national team.
The path of the golden square sides in the World Cup
Argentina's path
In the group stage, the Argentine national team achieved a victory over Algeria with a score of (3-0), then overcame Austria (2-0), before concluding its first-round campaign with a win against Jordan (3-1).
In the knockout stages, the Argentine national team defeated Cape Verde in the round of 32 with a score of (3-2), then surpassed Egypt in the round of 16 with the same result, before defeating Switzerland in the quarter-finals (3-1).
The Argentine national team did not face any opponent from the top ten ranked teams globally until reaching the semi-finals, as the match against Switzerland, ranked 14th, was the toughest for the Tango in terms of opponent ranking so far.
England's path
The England national team began its campaign in the group stage with a victory over Croatia (4-2), then drew goalless with Ghana, before concluding the first round with a win against Panama (2-0).
In the knockout stages, England defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the round of 32 with a score of (2-1), then overcame Mexico in the round of 16 (3-2), before defeating Norway in the quarter-finals (2-1).
During its campaign in the tournament, England faced only one team from the top ten ranked teams, which was Mexico, ranked tenth.
Spain's path
The Spanish national team drew with Cape Verde in the opening of its group stage campaign (0-0), before defeating Saudi Arabia (4-0), then overcoming Uruguay with a goal to nil.
In the knockout stages, Spain defeated Austria in the round of 32 (3-0), then surpassed Portugal in the round of 16 with a clean sheet, before overcoming Belgium in the quarter-finals with a score of (2-1).
Spain played two matches against teams from the top ten ranked teams, namely Portugal and Belgium.
France's path
France opened its campaign in the group stage with a victory over Senegal (3-1), then defeated Iraq (3-0), before achieving a big win against Norway (4-1).
In the knockout stages, France defeated Sweden in the round of 32 with a score of (3-0), then surpassed Paraguay in the round of 16 with a goal to nil, before crossing Morocco in the quarter-finals with a clean double.
During its campaign in the World Cup, France faced only one team from the top ten ranked teams, which was Morocco in the quarter-final round.
