ARLINGTON (Kashmir English): The first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 between France and Spain got underway at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.
Arlington, Texas (situated between Dallas and Fort Worth).Seating Capacity: Rearranged to hold roughly 80,000 to 94,000 fans for soccer matches.
Dallas Stadium is the official temporary geographic name assigned by FIFA to AT&T Stadium (universally known as “Jerry World” or the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Both FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final matches will kick off at 12:00 AM (midnight) Pakistan Standard Time (PKT).
The first semi-final between the two European powerhouses; France and Spain kicked off midnight today (midnight between Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Pakistan Standard Time).
The second semi-final between Argentina and England will start midnight between Wednesday, July 15, and Thursday, July 16, 2026 Pakistan Time at Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium).
The semi-final berths were confirmed after thrilling quarter-final matches, including England’s victory against Norway and Argentina’s extra-time win over Switzerland.
France, who are chasing their third straight World Cup semi-final appearance, ousted Morocco in the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, Spain punched their ticket by eliminating Belgium in the quarter-finals. The match brings together Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, reigniting their rivalry on the world stage after Spain’s Euro 2024 semi-final win.
As far as the second semi-final is concerned, a historic rivalry will be renewed at Atlanta Stadium when England faces defending champions Argentina.
Argentina made it to the Kansas City with a dramatic 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland.
On the other hand, England will be aiming to stop Lionel Messi and company from reaching another World Cup final.
Final four of 2026 FIFA World Cup
Interestingly, the world’s top four-ranked teams — France, Spain, England, and defending champions Argentina — all successfully made it to the final four the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This marks the first time since the men’s FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992 that the pre-tournament top four teams have swept the semifinal spots, largely aided by a strategic seeding format rule change that kept them in separate quadrants of the knockout bracket.
