#广场预测世界杯赢40000U

The top 4 in the FIFA rankings take all the semi-final spots—after 36 years, the World Cup final four is back to all champion teams

This edition’s World Cup final four is complete: Argentina, Spain, France, and England. Looking at the latest FIFA rankings, Argentina is 1st, Spain 2nd, France 3rd, and England 4th. From the World Cup’s founding in 1930 and the ranking system introduced in 1993 until now—96 years—this is the first time the final four consists exactly of the top four ranked teams. Previously, at most, only 2 to 3 teams would make it in. Take another look at the champions’ register: these four teams hold 7 trophies in total—Argentina 3, France 2, Spain 1, England 1. The last time the final four were all previous champions goes back to 1990, 36 years ago.

First, Argentina: in 6 matches, 4 wins and 2 draws—the defending champions’ foundation is there. McAllister’s opening header was clearly planned. After the match, the running data showed they covered 11.2 kilometers across the whole game. Constant shuttling on the left wore down Switzerland’s flank defender’s stamina; only later did Alvarez have the space to fire that world-class goal. Spain, meanwhile, reached the semi-finals with a 2-1 knockout of Belgium. Merino came on as a substitute at the 88th minute and, from the edge of the box, cushioned the ball into the shot—this was his second consecutive knockout-game substitute goal. Spain’s possession-based style controlled the match the whole way through, finally breaking the seal in the last 3 minutes. In 6 games: 5 wins and 1 draw—Spain hadn’t reached the semi-finals this early in 16 years.

France is the most solid: 6 matches, all wins, 16 goals scored and 2 conceded—the only team with no losses and no draws. In the quarter-finals, they beat Morocco 2-0; Mbappé had a hand in both, with a pass and a finish. With 8 goals this tournament, he sits level with Messi at the top of the scoring chart. On the right flank to the middle, the running heat map is completely spread out—France’s attacking thrust tore Morocco’s back line, again and again. England, on the other hand, survived 120 minutes and then overturned Norway 2-1. In the 36th minute, the left-footed shot from a tight angle by Sierdrup was almost a pass, almost a shot; the ball grazed the post and went in. Expected goals were only 0.02, but Pickford had no answer—Norway went behind 1-0. In first-half stoppage time, Bellingham braced himself against a defender in the box and pushed a left-footed strike out to the far corner—1-1, his 5th goal of the tournament.

In the 55th minute, Højbjerg scored from a rebound. VAR drew the line: Haaland reached out to push Andersen’s hand—foul—goal disallowed, still 1-1. In extra time at the 93rd minute, Rodgers’ long shot was saved but Nielan couldn’t hold on; Bellingham surged in from the side to pounce on the empty-net chance and made it 2-1, completing his brace. With 6 goals and 1 assist this tournament, he and Kane accounted for the vast majority of England’s 11 goals. Haaland was substituted off in the 105th minute; this was Norway’s best-ever World Cup run, stopping at the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

With the semi-final line-up set, the matchups align perfectly with the rankings. On July 15 at 3:00, at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, France (ranked 3rd) faces Spain (ranked 2nd). These two teams met in semi-finals at major tournaments for three consecutive years—at the 2024 European Championship and the 2025 UEFA Nations League, Spain sent France home both times. In World Cup terms, their last meeting was the 2006 Round of 16, when France won 3-1. This time, France’s rigidity with 6 straight wins collides with Spain’s possession-based control of 5 wins and 1 draw. Can Spain withstand Mbappé’s counter-attack pace with their high defensive line? It will come down to the timing of when defenders step up to challenge. On July 16 at 3:00, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Argentina (ranked 1st) plays England (ranked 4th).

There have been three meetings between Argentina and England in knockout matches. In the 1986 quarter-final, Maradona’s “Hand of God” plus a run that carried him past five players—Argentina won. In the 1998 Round of 16, Argentina won on penalties. In 2002 group play, England won 1-0 once. This time, it’s Bellingham against Messi and Kane against Lautaro. England’s midfield running totals are slightly higher for that tussle, but Argentina edges ahead on knockout experience. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the schedule is longer, and the script of a dark horse exhausting their stamina mid-way didn’t play out this time. None of the top four has fallen short: Switzerland held on with 10 men, Norway also got stuck in a stalemate in extra time—yet they still couldn’t drag the top four down. The four semi-final tickets are all held by these four teams. In the past 22 World Cups, only 8 different champions have emerged—this time there won’t be a new name either.