World Cup 2026 Semi-Finals Preview & Full Odds Breakdown

The final four are set. France vs Spain in Dallas tonight, England vs Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. Two blockbuster semi-finals, one spot in Sunday's final on the line in each.

Here's the full breakdown, with all odds from Chipstars.

France vs Spain — Tuesday, July 15 | Dallas

A rematch of the Euro 2024 semi-final, which Spain won 2-1, and last year's Nations League classic, where La Roja edged a nine-goal thriller 5-4. Spain have won seven of the last ten meetings — but this France side has been ruthless: six wins from six, 16 goals scored, clean sheets in every knockout game.

Spain have been even tighter at the back — just one goal conceded all tournament — and Mikel Merino became the first player in World Cup history to score the winner in two knockout ties as a substitute.

Match Result (1X2)

France are slight favourites at 2.45, with the draw at 3.20 and Spain at 3.25. Almost nothing between them — the tightest semi-final market of the two.

The Storyline

Kylian Mbappé leads the Golden Boot with 8 goals and 3 assists, and now has 20 career World Cup goals. On the other side, Lamine Yamal is hitting form at just the right time — the 18-year-old has been on the winning side in seven of ten career meetings with Mbappé. Ousmane Dembélé (4 goals) and Mikel Oyarzabal (4 goals) round out the key attacking threats.

England vs Argentina — Wednesday, July 16 | Atlanta

One of football's greatest rivalries returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2002. Maradona's Hand of God, Beckham's red card — this fixture writes its own scripts. Now it's Messi vs Kane, Bellingham vs Álvarez, in what could be Messi's final World Cup match.

England ground out an extra-time win over Norway in the quarters, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice — the first player to bag braces in back-to-back World Cup knockout games since Maradona in 1986. Argentina also needed extra time against Switzerland, with Julián Álvarez settling it with a stunning strike.

Match Result (1X2)

England are marginal favourites at 2.71, the draw at 2.90, Argentina at 3.10. The bookmakers can barely split them.

The Storyline

Messi has 8 goals this tournament — 21 career World Cup goals, the all-time record — and Argentina have never lost a World Cup semi-final in five previous attempts. Kane and Bellingham have 6 goals each, the first teammates to both hit 6+ in a single World Cup. Argentina have scored 17 goals, one short of their all-time tournament best from 1930.

Outright Markets

France lead the outright winner market at 2.35, with England and Spain level at 4.30, and defending champions Argentina the outsiders at 5.50. For the Golden Boot, Mbappé is heavy favourite at 1.80 over Messi at 2.35 — he leads on the assists tiebreaker, meaning even if Messi matches him on goals, the Frenchman takes it. Kane sits at 11.00 and Bellingham at 20.00.

For the adventurous, Chipstars offers Winner & Top Goalscorer combos — France and Mbappé at 2.70 is the shortest, while Argentina and Messi comes in at 6.00. Player of the Tournament has Mbappé at 2.50, Messi at 3.00, and Bellingham at 5.00.

The Verdict

France are the most complete team left — the best attack and one of the tightest defences. But Spain's recent record against them makes tonight a genuine coin toss. England vs Argentina is pure theatre: defending champions against a team chasing their first major trophy in 60 years, with Messi's farewell as the backdrop.

⚽Win €50 — France vs Spain Prediction Contest!🏆

We're giving away €50 in bonus funds to one lucky Chipstars player who correctly predicts tonight's France vs Spain semi-final result.

Here's how to enter:

Head to our Telegram channel and find the pinned France vs Spain contest post. Post your prediction as a comment in this exact format: Correct score + goal minutes — list the goal minutes for each team, e.g. "France 2 (23', 67') : Spain 1 (41')". For a 0-0 prediction, simply write "0-0". One entry per player. Entries must be posted before kick-off at 21:00 UTC.

How the winner is chosen:

The player who correctly predicts the exact final score wins. If more than one player predicts the exact score, the tiebreaker is the closest goal minutes (across all goals in the match) to the actual minutes. If the match finishes 0-0, the winner is drawn at random from all valid entries. For any other final score, if no one predicts it exactly, no prize is awarded for this contest. Chipstars' decision is final.

Eligibility:

Your Chipstars account must be at least 7 days old at the time of entry. You must have a history of at least 10 casino spins or sportsbook bets on your account. The winner must have a verified email and fully approved (KYC) documents to claim. The €50 reward is credited as bonus funds with x50 wagering, and can only be wagered on casino slots. Wagering time: 14 days.

How you'll be notified:

The winner will be announced publicly on our Telegram channel (we'll quote the winning prediction) and contacted directly via Telegram DM to arrange the reward.

• ⏰ The contest closes at kick-off and may be amended, suspended, or ended early at any time without prior notice.
• One entry per player, per account. Completing every step does not guarantee a reward.
• Eligibility is subject to verification, and rewards may be withheld in cases of suspected fraud, abuse, duplicate entries, or multiple accounts.
• Chipstars reserves the right to determine eligibility, refuse, withdraw, or amend this promotion at its sole discretion, and its decisions are final.
• This offer is not affiliated with, endorsed, or administered by Telegram. Bonus Terms & Conditions apply. 18+ only. Please play responsibly.