World Cup semifinal bracket: Updated schedule, results for 2026 FIFA knockout games

The 2026 World Cup is entering its final week, as the four best teams in the world remain to decide a winner.

The biggest World Cup ever began in the middle of June as 48 teams came to North America with a dream of making a deep run. After several weeks of intense competition, the World Cup is now down to just four squads, all of whom believe they can win the entire thing.

The semifinal round will be intense as it features the biggest stars in the world on the biggest stage. Just as is the case in every other sport, the semifinals are when the dream of a championship starts to become more of a reality.

Here's a look at the World Cup bracket for the semifinal round.

2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets

World Cup bracket 2026

SN

World Cup semifinal schedule

World Cup bracket semifinal

The World Cup is down to four teams, as two semifinal matches will decide who plays in the Final on July 19. Additionally, the loser of each match will play on July 18 in the third-place game.

One semifinal match will take place on Tuesday between these two teams:

• France (Group I winner; elim. Sweden in RO32, Paraguay in RO16, Morocco in QF)
• Spain (Group H winner; elim. Austria in RO32, Portugal in RO16, Belgium in QF)

The other side semifinal features a match between these countries:

• England (Group L winner; elim. DR Congo in RO32, Mexico in RO16, Norway in QF)
• Argentina (Group J winner; elim. Cape Verde in RO32, Egypt in RO16), Switzerland in QF/Switzerland (Group B winner; elim. Algeria in RO32, Colombia in RO16, Argentina in QF)

Quarterfinal scores

After a thrilling quarterfinal round, there are now just four teams remaining in the World Cup.

How does semifinal work in World Cup?

With just four teams remaining in the World Cup, the semifinal round is a pretty traditional and similar to other sports. Quite simply, there are two games in the round, with the winners advancing to play each other in the final next Sunday.

The expanded World Cup has provided teams different challenges than usual, as those remaining have been participating in the event longer than any previous edition of the tournament. The four remaining teams are deserving after playing three group stage matches and three more knockout stage matches.

What happens if knockout matches finish tied?

Knockout matches that are tied after 90 minutes of action will head to extra time to decide a winner. The extra time includes two different 15-minute periods, each with stoppage time added and a brief intermission in between, totaling a 30-minute addition. Extra time is not a golden goal situation, so teams must be winning by the end of the 30 minutes to win the match.

How teams advance in World Cup

Group Stage

The World Cup began with the group stage portion of the tournament, as the 48 teams were separated into 12 groups of four. Each group had each team play each other once, making it so every team played three games in the stage, with the top two finishers in each group moving on to the knockout stage.

Additionally, eight of the 12 third-place finishers earned a spot in the Round of 32 based on how many points they received in the group stage. Teams were placed in the bracket based on their standing in the group stage.

Knockout Rounds

The knockout round is simply a single-elimination, 32-team bracket to decide the champion. The winner of each game advanced to the following round, while the loser of each game heads home after a valiant effort. Overall, teams need to win five knockout stage matches to win the World Cup.