The World Cup semifinalists are set, a batch of usual suspects making the cut – Spain will play France on Tuesday and England will take on Argentina the following day, this week's games marking the first time FIFA's top four-ranked teams make up the tournament's last four. It is also an appropriate group of semifinalists for a World Cup dominated by star power, each team boasting a generational talent that has eyes on winning the sport's most coveted prize. Tuesday's semifinal will feature Spain's Lamine Yamal and France's Kylian Mbappe, also club adversaries when they respectively play for Barcelona and Real Madrid, while Harry Kane will lead England's line and Lionel Messi will do the same for Argentina on Wednesday.
It sets up for a fascinating final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in the suburbs of New York, no matter which of the semifinalists makes the cut. Each possibility is compelling in its own right but as is always the case, no two potential matchups are created equal – and some are more poised to be a classic than others.
As we enter the final week of the World Cup, here's a ranking of potential matchups in the final.
4. Spain vs. England
The good news about the semifinals is that however things shake out, a fascinating game is set for Sunday's final in the New York suburbs. The prospect of Spain's Lamine Yamal and England's Jude Bellingham, two stars of the future who are making their make in the present, playing against each other for a World Cup is entertaining in its own right. There's also a sense of curiosity that comes from the tactical contrasts these teams pose — Spain perfected a possession-oriented, pass-heavy style generations ago and hope it will lead them to a second World Cup title this summer. England have some free-flowing capabilities of their own but they also have an ability to slip into a more conservative approach, which is why they will ultimately rank low on this list. It is not inherently a knock on them — there are plenty of ways to win a World Cup, after all, and the objective is do that rather than entertain. If Saturday's win over Norway in the quarterfinals is anything to go by, though, they can create and survive a dull match if need be.
3. France vs. England
This final would have a batch of multigenerational matchups that would offer plenty of intrigue, from France's Kylian Mbappe and England's Harry Kane duking it out for the golden boot to Les Bleus' Michael Olise proving further that he ranks amongst the elites with Bellingham on the pitch for the other side. France edge out Spain here for being the picture of consistency at this World Cup, rarely facing a test they could not ace and looking unbeatable at just about every point of the tournament so far. It makes for an inherently fascinating question of how — or if — they can be stopped and England are as formidable a foe as it gets in that regard. This one, though, falls lower on the list because the entertainment factor might fall to the wayside if these two meet at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
2. Spain vs. Argentina
Should Argentina advance to the final, the entertainment levels will already be up a notch (or several, rather) because the defending champions have been in fully chaotic form this summer. They have endured two extra time periods already during the knockouts, allowing both Cape Verde and Switzerland into games they should have controlled handily. In the other knockout match, they were down 2-0 to Egypt before a late comeback ensured they would advance in the most dramatic of circumstances. Against a solid Spain, Argentina would be the exact opposite — unhealthily dramatic but entertainingly so, the outcome excitingly unpredictable. Plus, watching Lionel Messi face Lamine Yamal in what might be their one and only meeting — after the photoshoot they did when Yamal was a baby — would be hard to miss.
1. France vs. Argentina
This should be the boring pick. France and Argentina meeting in a third consecutive World Cup and second straight final should not be inspiring but to their credit, these two have never kept things boring. France outdid Argentina in a dramatic round of 16 game in Russia in 2018 that France won 4-3 en route to the title, while the 2022 final that saw the two sides locked at 3-3 before Argentina won a penalty shootout was one of the sport's most exciting games in recent memory. There's no reason a meeting on Sunday would be less thrilling — France and Argentina are dramatic foils at this World Cup, perhaps the fracas of La Albiceleste the only thing that can disrupt an impressively consistent France. The storylines write themselves, too — Messi could play his final World Cup match with the game's biggest trophy on the line, while Mbappe will look to firmly acquire the spotlight the Argentine will one day leave behind. Plus, the pair would likely duke it out not only for the golden boot but for the title of the World Cup's greatest-ever goalscorer, two worthy players battling it out on sport's biggest stage.
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