The World Cup 2026 semi-finals come with a footnote that has never appeared before: the four teams left standing are, exactly, the top four in the FIFA ranking. France first, Argentina second, Spain third, England fourth. For the first time since the ranking existed, the tournament has sifted its field right down to the theoretical elite of world football.

There is usually a gatecrasher by this stage — a side outside the top 10 that muscles in among the giants and wrecks everyone’s bracket. Not this time. Morocco, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland all went deep, but they fell in the quarter-finals to, precisely, the four top-ranked nations. The script held to the letter.

Who are the four semi-finalists?

France (1st), Argentina (2nd), Spain (3rd) and England (4th) — the reigning world champions, the current holders of the ranking crown, and the two powers that have owned the recent major finals. Between them they hold a fistful of recent World Cups and Euros, and now they trade blows with the trophy two games away.

Why is this historic?

Because the ranking rarely predicts the podium. In a knockout, one bad day sends any favourite home, and that is what usually produces the beautiful chaos of a World Cup. Having the world’s top four, in that order, in the last four is proof that — this time — the pecking order survived everything: extra time, penalties and scares included. The official table is on the FIFA world ranking.

When are the semi-finals?

France-Spain is on Tuesday, 14 July, in Dallas; England-Argentina closes the bracket on Wednesday, 15, in Atlanta. We already ran the preview of the France-Spain showdown and of the first-ever England-Argentina semi, and we are following every round in our World Cup 2026 live hub. The two winners meet in the final on 19 July, in New Jersey.

This is our running World Cup 2026 tracker, updated after every round through the final on 19 July at MetLife Stadium. Instead of hunting for the day’s article, you’ll find the results that matter, the stories shaping the tournament and the road to the final here — with the official schedule and results always available on FIFA’s site.

How does the World Cup 2026 knockout stage work?

For the first time there is a round of 32 before the round of 16: the top two in each group advance along with the eight best third-placed teams, as we explained in our guide to the new knockout round. From there the bracket took shape, just as we anticipated when the match-ups first started to form.

Updates

13 July 2026

Everything to plan before the semis: for the first time in World Cup history, the top four in the FIFA ranking all reach the last four — France, Argentina, Spain and England, in that exact order. The historic detail is in our look at the four semi-finalists. France-Spain is Tuesday in Dallas; England-Argentina closes the bracket Wednesday in Atlanta.

12 July 2026

Rest day, conversation on fire: the eve of the semi-finals belonged to the generational duel between Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé — Spain’s prodigy has never lost to the Frenchman, and the 5-0 knockout record and stakes are in our Yamal vs Mbappé duel piece. A tournament footnote: Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir who brought the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, has died.

The semi-finals are set: England beat Norway 2-1 in extra time with a Bellingham brace and now face Argentina, who saw off Switzerland 3-1 — details in our England-Argentina preview. Off the pitch, FIFA confirmed the lineup for the first-ever final halftime show, with Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Coldplay, and USA-Belgium set a new US TV record for football, with 46 million viewers.

The semi-finals were locked in overnight: France-Spain plays Tuesday in Dallas, and Wednesday’s England-Argentina in Atlanta is the first ever World Cup semi between the two — our full preview, with times and history, is now live. From the quarter-final fallout: Embolo’s bizarre ‘mistaken identity’ red card and the Courtois injury that may have closed an era in Belgium’s goal.

The semi-finals are set: France-Spain and England-Argentina. Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time, in a game marked by Breel Embolo’s sending-off — the first mistaken-identity card in World Cup history, confirmed by Portuguese referee João Pinheiro. England had booked their spot hours earlier with a Bellingham extra-time brace against Norway.

The bracket is set: Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 in extra time, on a night marked by Embolo’s simulation red card, given by Portugal’s João Pinheiro. Semi-finals: France-Spain (Tuesday, Dallas) and Argentina-England (Wednesday).

England are in the semi-finals: a Bellingham brace in extra time beat Norway 2-1 in Miami, after Schjelderup had put Norway ahead. Only Argentina-Switzerland remains to close the bracket; the winner meets England.

11 July 2026

The semi-finals are taking shape: France meet Spain on July 14 in Dallas, the Euro 2024 rematch — the full preview is in our piece on the France vs Spain semi-final. The quarter-finals closed tonight with Norway-England in Miami and Argentina-Switzerland in Kansas City, refereed by Portugal’s João Pinheiro; the winners complete the bracket and land here in tomorrow’s update.

The day was marked by the death of Jayden Adams, the 25-year-old South Africa midfielder who played at the World Cup just weeks ago — the story is here. On the pitch, the night closes out the quarter-finals: Norway-England in Miami (22:00 Lisbon) and Argentina-Switzerland in Kansas City (02:00 Sunday), with João Pinheiro refereeing.

Spain claimed the first semi-final spot by beating Belgium 2-1, Merino decisive off the bench again and Courtois leaving injured and in tears — possibly his World Cup farewell. The quarter-finals wrap up on Saturday: Norway-England in Miami, with Prince Haakon in the stands, and Argentina-Switzerland in Kansas City (2am Sunday Lisbon time), with Portugal’s João Pinheiro refereeing.

Semi-final bracket day: holders Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City and Haaland’s Norway take on England in Miami — both in the early hours of Sunday, Lisbon time, with Portugal’s João Pinheiro appointed to Argentina-Switzerland. We previewed the Kansas City clash, with Messi leading the Golden Boot race on eight goals. Spain-France is set for 14 July in Dallas.

10 July 2026

Spain beat Belgium 2-1 in Inglewood to become the second semi-finalists, through Fabián Ruiz and Mikel Merino — De Ketelaere ended Unai Simón’s record run at 650 minutes. Spain meet France in the semis, while Norway-England decides the other side of the bracket. The full match report is in the game article, and Lamine Yamal’s praise for Portugal is a story of its own.

World Cup 2026 is officially the best-attended ever: 3,605,357 spectators across the first 56 matches, beating the 1994 record. Mbappe’s France were first into the semi-finals, and tonight’s Spain-Belgium (8pm Lisbon) decides their opponent. The record and the 9,500-euro final tickets are covered in our stands-and-box-office round-up.

France are the first semifinalists: a 2-0 win over Morocco in Boston, with goals from Mbappé and Dembélé, and they now await the winner of Spain-Belgium, which kicks off tonight at 8pm Lisbon time. Saturday brings the other two quarterfinals: Norway-England, with Haaland and Kane head to head at 10pm, and Argentina-Switzerland closing out the round.

FIFA banned Jarell Quansah for two matches over his red card against Mexico — the centre-back misses Saturday’s Norway-England and a potential semi-final. The quarter-finals continue today in Los Angeles: Spain-Belgium at 8pm Lisbon time, with France already through and waiting on their side of the bracket.

9 July 2026

France are the first semi-finalists: a 2-0 win over Morocco in Boston, with goals from Mbappé (his eighth of the tournament) and Dembélé (his fifth). Les Bleus now await the winner of Friday’s Spain-Belgium — our France-Morocco report is here and the Spain-Belgium preview here. The quarter-finals wrap up Saturday with Norway-England and Argentina-Switzerland.

The quarterfinals begin: France-Morocco opens the last eight in Boston (Thursday), and on Friday the Spain side that knocked out Portugal meets Belgium in Inglewood — the Spanish arrive without conceding a single goal, on a record six straight clean sheets at finals.

8 July 2026

The quarter-final bracket is set: Switzerland knocked out Colombia on penalties, 72 years after their last quarter-final after a 0-0 that survived extra time, joining France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England and Argentina. The ties run Thursday to Sunday, opening with France-Morocco in Boston — the full schedule, with kick-off times in Portugal, is in our where-to-watch guide. Off the pitch, the FPF made Roberto Martinez’s exit official, with Jorge Jesus lined up to succeed him, and Portugal donated 87,000 euros to the FIFA-Global Citizen fund for Venezuela’s children after Shakira’s appeal.

7 July 2026

Portugal are out — beaten by Spain (0-1, Mikel Merino in stoppage time) and the tournament moves to the quarter-finals. The bracket: France–Morocco (Thu 9 Jul), Spain–Belgium (Fri 10 Jul) and Norway–England (Sat 11 Jul), with the fourth quarter-final on Sunday 12 Jul settled by the last team through from the round of 16. Spain, who knocked Portugal out, face Belgium.

The morning after: Roberto Martínez confirmed he is stepping down as national team coach following the elimination, and by evening the succession had a name: Jorge Jesus is Pedro Proença’s choice for a four-year cycle, with a deal on track to close by Sunday. The night wraps up the round of 16 with Argentina-Egypt and Switzerland-Colombia settling the last quarter-final places.

6 July 2026

Portugal are out: Spain won 1-0 in Dallas through a Mikel Merino goal, the match that ended the national team’s run. It was also Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup farewell, after the captain had confirmed on the eve of the game that this would be his last.

4 July 2026

A Saturday of knockouts: Morocco thrashed Canada to send one of the hosts out of the tournament, while France took on Paraguay in the same slate.

3 July 2026

Cape Verde went out on their shield: in the first knockout tie of their history, the Blue Sharks took Messi’s Argentina to extra time and lost only 3-2, to a cruel late goal.

2 July 2026

Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in Toronto — a Ronaldo penalty and a Gonçalo Ramos header in the 94th minute — in the reunion with an old rival from the big occasions, setting up the Iberian derby nobody wanted this early.

1 July 2026

The start of the knockout rounds confirmed this as the World Cup of upsets: Norway knocked out Brazil 2-1, Belgium hammered hosts USA 4-1 and Morocco made history by beating the Netherlands on penalties.

29 June 2026

The knockout phase kicked off with South Africa v Canada and Portugal learned their path: mission accomplished in the group stage, Croatia on 2 July.

28 June 2026

Goalless in Miami: Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia and finished Group K in second. Cape Verde did even better — an unbeaten group stage and a historic qualification at their first World Cup.

23 June 2026

A big night in Houston: Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan, with a Ronaldo double that made him the first player to score at six World Cups, as we covered in the round-up. The same day, Messi overtook Klose to become the tournament’s all-time top scorer.

22 June 2026

Cape Verde surprised again: 2-2 against Uruguay, a first-ever World Cup goal and qualification in their own hands, after already holding Spain in their opener.

20 June 2026

A stumble at the start: Portugal 1-1 DR Congo, João Neves’s early goal cancelled out on the stroke of half-time — the first World Cup point in Congolese history.

15 June 2026

The countdown: Portugal arrived at the tournament with Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup and the memory of Diogo Jota — and the eternal question: would this be the last dance?

For almost twenty years, football organised itself around one question: Ronaldo or Messi? That era is winding down — and on Tuesday in Dallas, something like a succession gets played out. Lamine Yamal against Kylian Mbappé, Spain against France, a World Cup semi-final as the opening night of the rivalry likely to define the next decade.

The symbolism is hard to miss. Cristiano Ronaldo, at 41, said goodbye to World Cups in the round of 16 — against Spain, of all teams. Messi, at 39, is still around (Argentina play the other semi), but even he admits this is the last lap. Football hates an empty throne, and these two didn’t even wait for the vacancy.

When do Yamal and Mbappé play in the semi-finals?

Tuesday, July 14, at 8pm Lisbon time in Dallas — full details, from the history to kick-off times, are in our France vs Spain semi-final preview. One delicious detail: Yamal turns 19 on Monday, the eve of the match. There are worse ways to celebrate a birthday.

Who has the edge in the Yamal-Mbappé duel?

The numbers are strikingly one-sided: across five knockout meetings between the two, club and country combined, Yamal has won every single one — 5-0. With Spain, he knocked Mbappé’s France out in the Euro 2024 semi-final (2-1, with that famous strike from outside the box at 16) and again in the epic 5-4 Nations League semi in 2025. Yamal didn’t dodge the subject after Spain went through either: if anyone should be afraid, he said, it’s them — we knocked them out of the Euros.

Mbappé, at 27, has his own case. World champion in 2018, a hat-trick in the 2022 final, and a France side that has barely put a foot wrong all tournament. A World Cup is precisely the trophy missing from Yamal’s shelf — and the one stage where Mbappé can still claim the throne beyond argument. The official fixture page is on FIFA’s site.

Whatever happens, football wins: for the first time since 2006, a World Cup may be decided by people not named Ronaldo or Messi. Thrones don’t stay empty for long.

Football has never stopped American television quite like this. The USA-Belgium round-of-16 tie at the 2026 World Cup — the 4-1 defeat that knocked out the co-hosts — has become the most-watched soccer telecast in US television history, according to final Nielsen figures: an average of 33.1 million viewers on Fox, plus 12.9 million on Telemundo, for a combined 46 million.

What do 46 million viewers actually mean?

That for one night, football played in the giants’ league. The number sits within touching distance of the 47.4 million that January’s NFL conference championship games averaged — the gold standard of American sports TV — and makes the match the most-watched non-NFL telecast since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. All this in a World Cup that had already blown the scale inside the grounds, with 3.6 million spectators in the stands before the semi-finals.

What happens now the USA are out?

The hosts’ elimination cost the tournament its local Cinderella, but the bill that remains is a broadcaster’s dream: the four highest-ranked teams in the world all reached the semi-finals, with England-Argentina already scheduled and France-Spain on the other side of the bracket. The final on 19 July at MetLife Stadium has everything it needs to attack the record just set — the tournament’s official audience and ticketing data is published by FIFA.

The Americans left the pitch too early. The sofa, apparently, is a different story.

The bracket has closed with a blockbuster: England vs Argentina, Wednesday, in Atlanta. Nine decades of shared history — and, remarkably, the two have never met in a World Cup semi-final. There’s a first time for everything, and this one is worth a place in the July 19 final at New York/New Jersey.

When is England vs Argentina and what time is kick-off?

The match is on Wednesday, July 15, at 8pm Lisbon time (3pm local) at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The official match page is on FIFA’s site.

How did both teams get here?

The hard way — each needed extra time and a strong heart. England only broke Norway down after the 90 minutes were up, with a Bellingham brace settling the 2-1; Argentina answered hours later as Álvarez unlocked a 3-1 win over Switzerland in a game remembered for Embolo’s bizarre red card. The reigning champions on one side; the Bellingham-Saka-Kane generation on the other, still chasing a repeat of 1966. Experience of lifting the trophy against 60 years of waiting.

Have England and Argentina met at a World Cup before?

Plenty of times — rarely without controversy. This is the fixture that gave us Maradona’s “Hand of God” and his goal of the century in the same 1986 match, Beckham’s red card in 1998, and Beckham’s penalty revenge in 2002. But never a semi-final: this is the highest-stakes meeting they’ve ever had. The winner faces whoever survives Tuesday’s France-Spain — and we’re keeping everything current in our daily World Cup tracker.

The short answer: Embolo was sent off because the yellow card for the incident had been shown to the wrong player. On 72 minutes of the Argentina vs Switzerland quarter-final in Kansas City, Leandro Paredes was booked for an alleged foul on Breel Embolo. The VAR called the referee over, the replays showed the Swiss forward falling before any contact was made — and the decision flipped: Paredes’s yellow was rescinded and Embolo was booked for simulation instead. Since he already had one, he walked. Switzerland played more than 50 minutes with ten men and went out, 3-1 after extra time.

What is a “mistaken identity” card?

It is the mechanism the IFAB provides for when “the referee shows a yellow or red card but has clearly penalised the wrong player of either team for the offence in question”. In those cases the VAR may step in, the card is cancelled and transferred to the player who actually committed the offence. What makes this one unique is the combination: never at a World Cup had a mistaken-identity review ended in a sending-off — let alone in a quarter-final.

Why did the decision cause such a storm?

Because it stacked everything that sets a big match alight: a long review, a simulation call inside the box, and elimination on the line. In Switzerland the fury made front pages; elsewhere, pundits praised the nerve it took to make the call on that stage. In the middle of it all stood Portuguese referee João Pinheiro, who confirmed the punishment after reviewing the footage — we covered how the game turned from there in our match report.

See also: the updated World Cup 2026 bracket.

Sixty-nine seconds. That is how long Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon lasted, five years after his last fight — and it ended in the worst way possible: with the Irishman limping and Max Holloway declared the winner at UFC 329 in Las Vegas.

What happened in McGregor vs Holloway?

McGregor, 37, walked in like it was the old days — a mohawk to match his UFC debut, a sprint across the canvas and a flying kick straight off the bell. That is where it all came apart: on landing, his right knee gave way. He tried to hide it, slipped repeatedly in the exchanges that followed, and it was Holloway himself who flagged the injury to referee Mike Beltran before the action was stopped. The official result: a Holloway win at 1:09 of the first round — the most anticlimactic finish imaginable for one of the most anticipated comebacks in the sport’s history.

Will McGregor fight again?

UFC boss Dana White said doctors believe it is a torn ACL — precisely the nightmare injury for a 37-year-old who already shattered his tibia back in 2021. ACL recoveries typically run nine months to a year, which pushes any return into 2027 and leaves the inevitable question hanging: is it still worth it? On the other side, Holloway banks a strange but valuable win on his welterweight debut.

A night of contrasts in world sport: while Las Vegas watched a comeback dissolve in seconds, the World Cup was locking in its semi-finals — the updated bracket is here.

The semi-final bracket closed in the small hours in Kansas City, and it closed with a proper dose of drama: Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time to set up a date with England. Along the way there was a red card for diving, half an hour of heroic Swiss resistance — and a Portuguese referee at the centre of everything.

How did Argentina vs Switzerland unfold?

It started to script: Mac Allister put Argentina ahead on 10 minutes from a Messi assist, and for an hour the champions controlled it. Switzerland levelled on 67 through Dan Ndoye, and soon after the game turned: Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow for simulation — going down in the box claiming contact the replays never showed — leaving the Swiss with ten men for more than 50 minutes across the end of normal time and extra time. The resistance held until the 112th minute, when Julián Álvarez broke the knot; Lautaro Martínez settled it in the dying moments.

How did the Portuguese referee do?

João Pinheiro, whose appointment had already set tongues wagging before the game, ended up making the call of the night — Embolo’s second yellow, confirmed after the footage was reviewed. A simulation red card in a World Cup quarter-final is vanishingly rare, and it is the kind of brave decision that can earn FIFA’s praise or weeks of fury in Bern.

Who plays the World Cup 2026 semi-finals?

On one side, France vs Spain on Tuesday in Dallas; on the other, Argentina vs England on Wednesday — the England side that also needed extra time to see off Norway through a Bellingham brace. Four teams, three world champions, and a Messi two wins from retaining the title at 39. Quite a week ahead.

When England needed someone to settle it, they turned to the usual suspect. Jude Bellingham scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Norway in Miami, a slog that needed extra time, and carried England into the World Cup 2026 semi-finals.

How did Norway vs England unfold?

One scare at a time. Norway went ahead on 36 minutes through Andreas Schjelderup, drafted into the starting XI, whose shot from a tight angle clipped the post on its way in. The reply came on the stroke of half-time: Anthony Gordon’s cross found Bellingham, who worked space inside the box and finished into the bottom corner. With no winner inside 90 minutes, the tie was settled early in extra time — Morgan Rogers’ effort was saved and Bellingham, sharpest to react, tucked home the rebound. That is four goals in his last two matches, in a tie the preview had billed as Haaland versus Kane before another hero stole the script.

It was played in an oven: humid Florida heat with a heat index above 40°C, conditions that turned the match into an exercise in energy management as much as football. The official match page is on the FIFA website.

Who do England face in the semi-finals?

The winner of Argentina vs Switzerland, which closes the quarter-finals overnight in Kansas City. The other half of the bracket is already set, with France vs Spain on July 14 in Dallas. For Haaland’s Norway, authors of a memorable World Cup, the journey ends in the last eight — heads high, and half an hour from rewriting their history.

The first heavyweight semi-final is set: France vs Spain, Tuesday, in Dallas. Two years after Spain ended French hopes in the Euro 2024 semis, the rematch arrives on an even bigger stage — with a place in the July 19 final at New York/New Jersey on the line.

When is France vs Spain and what time is kick-off?

The match is on Tuesday, July 14, at 8pm Lisbon time (2pm local) at Dallas Stadium in Texas. The official match page is on the FIFA website.

How do the two teams arrive?

France arrive like a steamroller: not a single goal conceded in the entire knockout stage — 3-0 over Sweden, 1-0 over Paraguay, 2-0 over Morocco — with Mbappé on eight goals for the tournament. Spain’s route has been less flashy but just as stubborn, win after win by a single goal, most recently beating Belgium 2-1 thanks to yet another late Merino strike.

The matchup inside the matchup sells itself: Mbappé against Lamine Yamal, the two faces of the rivalry international football inherited from Barcelona vs Real Madrid. There is a record within reach too — Michael Olise has six assists at this World Cup; one more ties Pelé’s all-time mark for a single edition.

Is this really a Euro 2024 rematch?

That is the extra spice. In 2024, Spain knocked France out in the semi-finals (2-1) on the way to the European title. The French have not forgotten; the Spanish insist the recipe still works. Whoever advances meets the winner of the other side of the bracket — which closes tonight, with everything tracked in our daily World Cup hub.

Jayden Adams, the 25-year-old South Africa international midfielder, died on Saturday, just weeks after playing for Bafana Bafana at the 2026 World Cup. The news landed in the middle of the quarter-final weekend and turned a day of football into a day of mourning across the African game.

What do we know about Jayden Adams’s death?

Very little so far. No cause of death has been announced, and South African media report that police have opened an inquest. Mamelodi Sundowns, his club, confirmed his passing and asked for the family’s privacy; the federation and the players’ union both described an immeasurable loss for the country. The official statement is on the Mamelodi Sundowns website.

Adams had lived through a brutally hard tournament on a personal level: his grandmother died the day before South Africa faced the Czech Republic, and he still stayed with the squad to the end of the campaign.

Who was Jayden Adams?

A product of South African football and part of the Mamelodi Sundowns side crowned African champions in 2025/26, Adams won 13 caps and scored twice, both goals coming in qualifying for this World Cup. At the finals he started against Mexico and the Czech Republic and came off the bench in the win over South Korea that carried South Africa into the knockout rounds for the first time ever, before a last-16 exit to Canada.

The tragedy cuts through a World Cup that has spared nobody’s emotions — this week we also followed Courtois leaving the pitch in tears in what may have been a World Cup farewell, and every story of the tournament lives in our daily World Cup 2026 tracker.

What remains is the memory of a player who carried his country through a historic summer. This is a sensitive subject: if you are going through a difficult moment, support is available — in Portugal, the SNS 24 line (808 24 24 24) offers mental-health support.

Some defeats hurt beyond the scoreline. Belgium went out of the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals to Spain, but the image of the night in Inglewood wasn’t a goal — it was Thibaut Courtois leaving the pitch in tears with a muscle injury to his left leg, midway through a game Spain would go on to win 2-1.

Why might Courtois’s injury be a World Cup farewell?

Because the numbers are unforgiving. Courtois is 34 and had completed 21 consecutive World Cup matches — he had never been substituted at a World Cup until this night. By the time 2030 comes around, he’ll be 38. Can an elite goalkeeper last that long? It has happened, but the man himself seemed to sense the weight of the moment: he left inconsolable, face buried in his shirt, while the whole stadium applauded.

The irony is cruel. Before the injury, Courtois had denied Spain with a vintage save from Dani Olmo — and it was from that rebound that Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring. The game turned once he was gone: Spain pressed, and Mikel Merino, off the bench yet again, made it 2-1 in the 88th minute.

What is left of Belgium’s golden generation?

A hole that’s hard to fill. This was the likely last dance of a generation that topped rankings and promised trophies that never came — De Bruyne, Lukaku, Courtois. The round-of-16 rout of the United States, with a De Ketelaere double, had rekindled hope; the quarter-finals put it out again. For the next wave — De Ketelaere included — there’s the torch, and the invoice of expectations. The match report and updated bracket are on FIFA’s match centre.

If this really was Courtois’s last World Cup match, he went out the way he always played: guarding the goal until his body said enough.

The saga is over: Morten Hjulmand is an Atlético Madrid player. The Spanish club confirmed the signing of the Danish midfielder from Sporting CP on Saturday, with the Lisbon side banking a fixed €40 million — a fee that can rise to €45m with add-ons — on a contract running to June 2031. Sporting’s captain leaves, and he leaves through the front door.

How much do Sporting get for Hjulmand?

Forty million fixed, plus up to five in variables: €750,000 for every season the Dane reaches 30 appearances (capped at €3m), €500,000 each time Atlético qualify for the Champions League, and €250,000 for every run to the last 16 and quarter-finals. All told, it ranks among the ten biggest sales in the Alvalade club’s history — and confirms a frantic transfer window in which the captain’s exit had been brewing for weeks.

What does Hjulmand leave behind at Sporting?

Three years, 141 appearances, ten goals, twelve assists — and, above all, two league titles and a Portuguese Cup. He arrived from Lecce in 2023 as a gamble and departs as captain and boss of the midfield. In Madrid he gets a five-season deal and a coaching staff that prizes exactly what he offers: lungs, judgement and well-mannered aggression. The official welcome is up on Atlético Madrid’s website.

¡Bienvenido, Hjulmand! 🔴⚪

Acuerdo con el Sporting CP para el traspaso del centrocampista internacional danés, quien firma por nuestro club hasta 2031.

➡️ https://t.co/Z84XsrVHWf pic.twitter.com/jWc6jysVtP

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) July 11, 2026

For Sporting, the task is familiar: turn €40 million into a midfield that doesn’t miss the Dane. For Hjulmand, it’s the ramp Alvalade captains know well — leave as a champion, land at a European giant.

Defending champions Argentina face Switzerland this Saturday in the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. For viewers in Portugal, kick-off is at 2am on Sunday morning — strong coffee or a strategic nap, your call.

What time is Argentina vs Switzerland and what is at stake?

The match kicks off at 20:00 local time on Saturday (2am Sunday in Lisbon), and the winner meets whoever survives Norway vs England, also played this Saturday in Miami. On the other side of the bracket, Spain and France have already booked their semi-final for 14 July in Dallas.

The world champions arrive with their hearts in their mouths: they have twice escaped by 3-2, with dramatic comebacks against Cape Verde and Egypt. Messi, at 39, leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and still decides matches in minutes. Switzerland, meanwhile, are back in a World Cup quarter-final after 72 years — the last time was in 1954, on home soil — having got here by beating Colombia on penalties. History is not on their side: the Swiss have never beaten Argentina, who lead the head-to-head 15 goals to 3.

Why are Argentinians worried about João Pinheiro?

Because he holds the whistle. FIFA appointed the Portuguese referee for the match, and the Argentine press has spent the week revisiting past refereeing grievances. Superstition or not, a Portuguese official takes centre stage in a quarter-final Portugal no longer plays in — which, let’s admit, has its irony. The full match details are on FIFA’s match centre.

If logic prevails, Argentina go through. But this tournament has already sent home favourites with all the logic on their side — and Switzerland have saved up 72 years of patience for nights like these.

Spain are into the World Cup 2026 semi-finals — and once again it was Mikel Merino who settled it. Friday’s 2-1 win over Belgium in Inglewood sets up a meeting with France, and extends the nightmare the midfielder had already inflicted on Portugal when he decided the round-of-16 tie in stoppage time.

How did Spain beat Belgium?

By the expected script, with a twist: Spanish possession against Belgian counters. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring on 29 minutes at the end of a training-ground move, but Charles De Ketelaere — the same man who sank the United States in the last 16 — headed Belgium level on 40. With extra time looming, Merino arrived in the box on 87 minutes to make it 2-1.

What did Belgium’s goal end?

The longest unbeaten goalkeeping run in World Cup finals history. Unai Simón fell at 650 minutes without conceding, a record that had already cost Portugal dearly and had been Spain’s great shield in this tournament.

Who do Spain play in the World Cup 2026 semi-final?

France, who saw off Morocco on Thursday to become the first side through. The winner will face whoever emerges from the Norway-England side of the bracket. We are tracking it all, result by result, in our World Cup 2026 daily hub, and the official match sheet is on FIFA’s match centre.

For the generation of Pedri and Lamine Yamal, 2010 feels closer by the day.