World Cup Semi-Final Fixtures

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to commence on Thursday 11 June as co-hosts Mexico face South Africa in Mexico City in Group A.

There will be 100 games played in total before the first semi-final, and this article aims to tell all you need to know about the World Cup semi-final fixtures.

Also, feel free to check out our dedicated Best World Cup betting tips & strategies page as we get closer to the start of the tournament.

World Cup Semi-Final Fixtures

The semi-final fixtures will take place between Tuesday 14 July and Wednesday 15 July, with the details outlined below:

Tuesday 14 July

• Match 101 – Winner match 97 v Winner match 98 – Dallas Stadium

Wednesday 15 July

• Match 102 – Winner match 99 v Winner match 100 – Atlanta Stadium

Most memorable World Cup Semi-Finals in history

We have seen many exciting matches at this stage of the World Cup in previous tournaments, so let us take a look at our selection of the top three most memorable semi-finals in World Cup history:

France vs Brazil – World Cup 1958 in Sweden

While this semi-final duel was not as exciting as the other two on our list since it ended with a 5-2 win for Brazil, it marked the arrival of one of the best players in history. Although the 17-year old Pele, once a shoe-shiner, already scored his first goal earlier at the tournament, this was the game after which the world knew they are witnessing greatness.

After the first half in which Brazil took a 2-1 lead, Pele stepped on the big scene in the second half and scored a hat-trick in just 23 minutes, securing his name in history as a teenager and his team's place in the final, which they will go on to win by beating Sweden again 5-2, with a couple of braces from Pele.

West Germany vs. France – World Cup 1982 in Spain

Italy vs. West Germany – World Cup 1970 in Mexico

Estadio Azteca was the ground of many memorable matches, including the semi final duel between Italy and West Germany in 1970. The two teams exchanged many blows in this game, but Italy was the one to draw first blood with an eighth minute goal by Boninsecna. And it was nearly enough to get the Italians to the final, but West Germany managed to score in the final minutes of the match to sent it to overtime.

After that, it was a goal bonanza in overtime. First Muller gave Germany the lead, but Burgnich and Riva turned things around. Muller once again scored to level the game, but Rivera then scored what proved to be the winning goal in 101st minute of the match.

Who are the favourites to reach the World Cup Final?

At the time of writing, the favourites to reach the World Cup final are Spain and France. Spain have actually only reached the final of the prestigious tournament once before, but won it in 2010 having beaten the Netherlands after extra-time in South Africa with Andres Iniesta scoring the winning goal.

By contrast, France have reached the World Cup final on four separate occasions, but only have a 50% success rate in them. Indeed, Les Bleus beat Brazil 3-0 on home soil in 1998, and more recently in 2018, where they defeated Croatia 4-2 in Russia.

Both of France's defeats were via a penalty shootout, first against Italy in 2006 and most recently against Argentina in 2022. The 2006 final was famous for Zinedine Zidane's headbutt on Marco Materazzi, which consequently got him sent off, while the most recent World Cup saw Kylian Mbappe score a hat-trick but still end up on the losing side.

Mbappe, who could become France's all-time leading goalscorer at the 2026 tournament and is among the favourites to win the Golden Boot, is sure to lead the attack for his nation again, and adding the likes of Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembele to the mix means Les Bleus could be devastating going forward. Spain will want to bring their experience of winning the 2024 European Championships through with them, but will be sweating on the fitness of a key player from that tournament in Lamine Yamal.