For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the top four teams in the world rankings reached the semi-finals.
According to the information, the new FIFA game system played an important role in the success of Spain, Argentina, France and England, and within its framework, the four main teams were placed in different divisions to prevent them from entering the competition before the semi-finals.
For the plan to succeed, all teams had to finish first in their groups, and so it was.
The top four World Cup teams in the world rankings advanced to the semifinals for the first time.
FIFA introduced a new draw format for this tournament so that the top four seeds will not meet until this stage, if they win all their groups. pic.twitter.com/sLL1dp5bo0
– BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 12, 2026
According to the new format, Spain and Argentina can only face each other in the final, but France and England were given separate paths in the knock-out stages.
Now in the semi-final, France will face Spain and England will face Argentina.
The new 48-team World Cup format has increased the chances of major teams clashing in the knockout stages, prompting FIFA to change the draw process.
The purpose of this decision is to save the big matches until the later stages of the tournament and maintain a balance in the matches that were successful this time.
Top of the table 📈
For the first time, four @FIFAWorldCup The 2026 semi-finalists are the top four teams in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking 👏 pic.twitter.com/zSyv2lUYU3
– FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 12, 2026
