The 2026 FIFA World Cup is getting down to the pointy end, with only seven countries left in the running for this year's title. Almost all the remaining soccer teams are European, the sole exception being Argentina, which continues to represent South America.
Most of these contenders aren't surprising, as five of them are listed in the official FIFA Men's World Ranking top 10. However, in a competition where a single loss means you're out, there have been a few upsets in the lead up to the semi-finals, with a couple of underdogs making it further than expected.
Here are all the teams still fighting it out in this year's FIFA World Cup, as well as the players to watch.
France: Kylian Mbappé
France is already through to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals after beating Morocco 2-0 on Thursday, the two-time champion looking to make it a hat-trick. Though the semi-final match is set to take place next Tuesday, July 14, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, the team's opponent is still yet to be determined. Whether Spain or Belgium will go up against France will depend on which of the two teams comes out on top in their match Friday.
Known as Les Bleus, the French national team has had an undefeated run to the semi-finals, beating Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), and Norway (4-1) in Group I before proceeding to the knockout bracket. Here they maintained their streak, defeating Sweden (3-0), Paraguay (1-0), and Morocco.
All eyes will be on forward Kylian Mbappé in the matches ahead. The captain of the French team is widely considered one of the best players at the World Cup — and even the world. Though Mbappé ranks Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo above himself, there's no denying that he's at least nipping at the soccer legends' heels. France's all-time top goal scorer has already set several records at this year's event, scoring the most goals out of anyone at this year's World Cup so far, and tying with Messi at 17 non-penalty goals across all his World Cup appearances.
While he suffered an ankle injury during the match against Morocco, Mbappé has reassured fans that he's "completely fine," and will hopefully be fully recovered by the semi-final next week.
Spain: Lamine Yamal
Nicknamed La Roja, Spain's national soccer team is set to play Belgium in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals this Friday, July 10, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Spain last won the World Cup in 2010, and it's one of the top-ranked teams in this year's competition, surpassed only by Argentina. As such, 2026 could very well be Spain's year.
Spain performed well in Group H, tying with Cabo Verde (0-0) before defeating Saudi Arabia (4-0) and Uruguay (1-0). Having since knocked out Austria (3-0) and Portugal (1-0), the Spanish team will now face Belgium for a spot in the semi-final against France next week.
The Spanish team's star player Lamine Yamal has recently recovered from a hamstring injury, stating before the World Cup that he was still working his way up to playing a full match. Even so, the 18-year-old right winger has already proven himself in previous tournaments, and is only expected to get better.
Belgium: Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian team gained significant attention for trouncing Team USA 4-1 on Monday, kicking the Americans out of the FIFA World Cup on their own home soil. This was despite FIFA suspending U.S. star player Folarin Balogun's red card so he could play in the match, a move President Donald Trump claimed he was involved in. Now De Rode Duivels (the Belgian Red Devils) will play against Spain in the quarter-finals this Friday, hoping for the chance to face France in the semi-finals.
Belgium's national team kicked off its World Cup run with ties against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0), before soundly defeating New Zealand (5-1). They continued to prove themselves in the knockout stage, taking out Senegal (3-2) before sending the U.S. national team packing (4-1).
Some football fans were skeptical that Belgium could defeat the U.S. with Balogun on the field, betting odds having favoured a win for the Americans after Trump's alleged intervention. Even after Belgium's victory, coach Rudi Garcia stated that "everyone thinks [they] are going home." Belgium is ready to prove these people wrong, with striker Romelu Lukaku expected to be instrumental in silencing the naysayers. Belgium's all-time top goal scorer, Lukaku scored a goal in each of the team's last three games at the World Cup after having come on as a substitute in all of them. This made him the first player in World Cup history to score as a substitute in four separate matches. No doubt he'll be keen to take on more records.
Norway: Erling Haaland
Norway's next FIFA World Cup appearance will be their quarter-finals match against England, scheduled this Saturday, July 11, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Reaching this stage is already the best result they've ever had at the World Cup — though of course they would like to go even further. Considering the talent on this year's team, it doesn't seem like an impossible dream.
Known locally as Landslaget, which simply means "the national team," Norway was also placed in Group I alongside France at the start of the tournament. Yet despite a 4-1 loss to Les Bleus, the team still made it to the knockout stage by defeating Iraq (4-1) and Senegal (3-2). Booting Côte d'Ivoire (2-1) and Brazil (2-1) from the competition, Norway will now have to beat England.
The top Norwegian player to watch is undisputedly Erling Haaland, whose name is often spoken in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo. Like Mbappé, Haaland has demurred when others have compared him to the soccer greats. Even so, the striker's achievements speak for themselves. Norway's all-time top scorer has racked up an impressive 60 goals in 53 senior international games, shooting his 60th in the World Cup match against Côte d'Ivoire. In comparison, Messi and Ronaldo took more than twice as many games to reach the same goal count.
England: Harry Kane
Called The Three Lions after the animals on their team crest, England's national soccer team are set to take on Norway in their next game on Saturday. Both quarter-finalists are battling for a chance at the semi-finals, with the winner to go up against the victor of the match between Argentina and Switzerland.
England fought its way through Group L to get here, defeating Croatia (4-2), tying with Ghana (0-0), and besting Panama (2-0). It then took out the Democratic Republic of Congo (2-1) and Mexico (3-2) in the knockout bracket, leaving it three victories away from taking the Fifa World Cup championship.
The standout player on England's team is captain and striker Harry Kane, England's all-time top scorer. Kane has scored six goals at this World Cup, ranking fourth behind Mbappé, Messi, and Haaland. He previously won the Golden Boot award at the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well, given to the player who scored the most goals during the tournament. Kane has been having a stellar run recently, scoring a total of 73 goals in the 2025-26 season thus far — second only to Messi's record set in 2011-12.
Argentina: Lionel Messi
The official FIFA Men's World Ranking currently lists Argentina as No. 1 in the world, with head coach and captain Lionel Messi widely considered one of the best players in the world. As such, they're expected to do very well in their quarter-final match against Switzerland on Saturday, July 11, set to take place at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas, Missouri.
La Albiceleste dominated Group J, beating out Algeria (3-0), Austria (2-0), and Jordan (3-1), then continued their streak in the knockout stage by sending Cabo Verde (3-2) and Egypt (3-2) home. Argentina is now the sole non-European competitor remaining in the 2026 FIFA World Cup this year, though this certainly doesn't mean that it's an underdog.
Messi needs little introduction, with his name familiar even to those who only have a passing interest in soccer. Dubbed the greatest footballer of all time by numerous fans, commentators, and players, Argentina's all-time top scorer holds a slew of records and is constantly held up as an inspiration to other players. Messi was the first to win the World Cup's Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player twice, and has already set several new records during the course of this year's competition. These include scoring the most goals in World Cup history, a number which has since climbed further to 21, and being the first ever player to score in eight consecutive matches at the tournament.
Switzerland: Granit Xhaka
Switzerland's national soccer team will have to slay giant Argentina to get past the quarter-finals this weekend. Taking out the top ranked team is a formidable task, particularly with Switzerland currently ranked at 19. Still, Nati have made an excellent show of themselves thus far, and it wouldn't be the first upset of this year's FIFA World Cup.
Placed in Group B, the Swiss team tied with Qatar (1-1) before beating Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-1) and Canada (2-1). In the knockout bracket, Switzerland pushed out Algeria (2-0) and Colombia (0-0, with a 4-3 penalty shootout). Now they're facing their biggest challenge thus far, up against Argentina for a semi-final spot.
While the Swiss team have expressed excitement about facing soccer icon Messi, they're even more eager to defeat him. Captain and defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka aims to lead them to that victory, having already brought Switzerland to its first World Cup quarter-final since 1954. While his position doesn't typically shoot goals, Xhaka has proven a skilled playmaker, breaking through opponents' lines and setting his teammates up for success.
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