Get ready for an absolutely insane World Cup semifinal round, because for the first time since FIFA dropped its world rankings in 1992, the top four ranked teams in the world are all in it! We're talking Argentina (No. 1), Spain (No. 2), France (No. 3), and England (No. 4) all showing up exactly as advertised before the tournament even kicked off.
History Is Being Written, And The Betting Books Are Wild
Think about that for a second: the four best teams on paper actually delivered when it mattered most. This is pure, unadulterated history, folks! And it gets even crazier from a betting perspective. Spain (+450), France (+450), England (+700), and Argentina (+900) were all among the top five favorites to lift the trophy before the tournament. The only pre-tournament top-five betting favorite that didn't make it to the semis was Portugal (+700). That makes this one of the most chalky final fours the World Cup has ever seen, straight up. We haven't seen a semifinal field where all four teams were below +1000 on the odds board since 1994. It's almost too perfect, right?Argentina's Unstoppable Roll: Messi Is Just Built Different
Seriously, what Argentina is doing right now is just unreal. They've punched their ticket to consecutive World Cup semifinals for only the second time ever, a feat they last pulled off way back in 1986 and 1990. This squad has won an absolutely mind-blowing 13 straight games, a team record, and they're unbeaten in 12 straight World Cup games, another team record. And get this: Argentina is the ONLY team to score at least two goals in all six of their matches this World Cup, and they've scored multiple goals in 12 straight World Cup matches. That's a brand new World Cup record! They're pushing to be only the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups, with Brazil (1958, 1962) and Italy (1934, 1938) being the last to do it over six decades ago. And then there's Lionel Messi. What more can you even say about the GOAT? The man has racked up 21 goals and 10 assists, both all-time World Cup records. He's also played 32 matches and won 21 of them, both tournament records. Scoring against 15 different opponents at the World Cup? Yeah, that's another record for him. He even scored in nine consecutive matches from the 2022 Round of 16 all the way to this year's Round of 16, including six consecutive knockout stage matches, which are both World Cup records. He is simply on another planet. Spain, meanwhile, is making its second semifinal appearance ever, last making it in 2010 when they won the whole thing, and they're unbeaten in a crazy 36 straight games overall. France and Spain are set to clash on July 14 in Arlington, which is going to be an absolute fireworks show. Then England and Argentina face off the very next day, July 15, in Atlanta. The winners of those two epic battles will meet in the final on July 19 in East Rutherford. You absolutely cannot miss this!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.