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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced a historic first, with the world’s top four ranked national teams reaching the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s history.
The milestone was confirmed after Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals to secure the final place in the last four.
According to the latest FIFA World Ranking published on June 11, Argentina entered the tournament as the world’s No. 1 team. Spain ranked second, France third and England fourth. All four have now advanced to the semi-finals, creating an unprecedented line-up in World Cup history.
Spain booked their place in the last four with a 2-1 victory over Belgium, while France defeated Morocco 2-0. England also secured a 2-1 win over Norway to reach the semi-finals.
The tournament’s revised format played a key role in making the historic achievement possible. Before the draw, the top four ranked teams were placed in separate sections of the knockout bracket, ensuring they could not meet before the semi-finals if they won their respective groups and progressed through the knockout stage.
All four teams successfully navigated their paths, resulting in the first-ever World Cup semi-finals featuring the top four nations in the FIFA rankings.
Under the draw, Argentina and Spain were placed on opposite sides of the bracket, making a meeting before the final impossible. England and France were similarly separated, allowing all four favourites to progress independently.
The semi-final action begins on Tuesday, when France face Spain, followed by Argentina against England on Wednesday. Both matches are expected to attract huge global interest as four of world football’s biggest powers battle for a place in the final.
The FIFA World Ranking system was introduced in 1994, although it was not used for seeding at that year’s World Cup. Since then, top-ranked teams have often failed to meet expectations. World No. 1 sides including France (2002), Italy (2010), Spain (2014), Germany (2018) and Belgium (2022) all suffered shock group-stage exits in different editions of the tournament.
Since the 1998 World Cup, no tournament had featured all four highest-ranked teams in the semi-finals until now. The 2026 edition has finally ended that long wait, marking another memorable chapter in World Cup history.