The semifinals of the 2026 World Cup will have an unusual feature in the history of the tournament. France, Spain, Argentina and England, the four teams still in the race for the title, already know what it is to win a World Cup, a coincidence that had only occurred in two previous editions.

With the matches already defined, France will face Spain and Argentina will face England in a prelude to the final made up exclusively of world champion teams.

The presence of four champions in this instance breaks a 36-year drought. The most recent occasion occurred in Italy 1990 and, before that, it had only been recorded in Mexico 1970.

Among the semi-finalists they have seven world titles. Argentina won the World Cup in 1978, 1986 and 2022; France lifted the trophy in 1998 and 2018; England retains the title obtained in 1966 and Spain the one obtained in South Africa 2010.

An exceptional event in the history of the World Cups

Since the creation of the tournament in 1930, the semifinals have on most occasions been made up of teams seeking their first championship along with others with winning experience.

However, only three editions present a prelude to the final made up entirely of world champions: Mexico 1970, Italy 1990 and now the 2026 World Cup.

In the 1970 edition, Brazil defeated Uruguay 3-1 in one of the semifinals, while Italy starred in a historic 4-3 victory over Germany. That Brazilian team, led by Pelé, would end up lifting its third Jules Rimet Cup.

Twenty years later the scenario was repeated again. At Italy 1990, Argentina eliminated the host in a penalty shootout after drawing 1-1 in regulation time. In the other key, Germany also needed penalties to beat England before becoming champions of the tournament.

Since then, no World Cup had brought together four teams with at least one title in the semifinal phase.

The historical route reflects the diversity of semifinals that the tournament has had. In 2022, Argentina shared that instance with Croatia, France and Morocco; four years earlier, France crossed paths with Belgium while Croatia faced England; and in 2014 the keys were Germany-Brazil and Holland-Argentina.

In 2010, Uruguay faced the Netherlands and Germany faced Spain. In 2006, Germany played against Italy and France against Portugal, while in 2002 Brazil eliminated Turkey and Germany did the same with South Korea.

Previous editions also show similar combinations, with the constant presence of teams without titles alongside traditional powers. Only on three occasions was the fight to reach the final reserved exclusively for countries that had already won the World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup will thus add a new chapter to that short list, with four historic champions seeking a place in the final and the possibility of expanding their record in the most important tournament in international football.

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