World Cup 2026 Semi-Final Day Guide: Everything You Need to Know About July 14 & 15

The 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals — July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and July 15 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — are the two biggest nights of football outside the Grand Final itself. Four nations remain. Two matches. Two dreams ended. Two finalists born. Here is your complete guide to the semi-final days.

Semi-Final 1: July 14 — AT&T Stadium, Dallas (8pm ET)

The first 2026 World Cup semi-final takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — the largest venue of the entire tournament at 94,000 capacity. Dallas's enormous crowd, combined with the retractable roof that amplifies noise to extraordinary levels, will create one of the most intense football atmospheres ever produced inside a North American stadium. Our predicted clash — Spain vs Argentina — would pit the tournament favourites against the defending champions in a match of almost unimaginable emotional and tactical significance. Broadcast on FOX and Telemundo in the USA.

Semi-Final 2: July 15 — MetLife Stadium, New Jersey (8pm ET)

The second semi-final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — the Grand Final venue — gives two nations a preview of the stage that will host football's ultimate match four days later. Our predicted France vs England clash at MetLife would be the tournament's most commercially significant single match — two of football's most globally followed nations meeting in a World Cup semi-final at a venue 8 miles from New York City. Broadcast on FOX and Telemundo.

What Is at Stake

For the winners: a World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium. For the losers: a third-place play-off on July 18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami — a match that carries its own genuine prestige but cannot disguise the pain of semi-final defeat. The emotional trajectory from semi-final victory (the greatest night of a player's career outside the final itself) to semi-final defeat (the most devastating result in a major tournament) is the most extreme emotional contrast football produces. Both will be on display on July 14 and 15.

Historical Semi-Final Context

World Cup semi-finals have produced some of the tournament's most iconic moments: Germany's 7-1 demolition of Brazil in Belo Horizonte in 2014 (the Mineirazo — the most shocking result in World Cup history). Maradona's Argentina defeating Belgium in 1986 (Maradona scoring twice in one of the tournament's great individual performances). France's 2-0 victory over Belgium in 2018 (a tactical masterclass from Deschamps). Morocco's historic semi-final in 2022 (the first African nation to reach the last four). The 2026 semi-finals will add their own chapters to that extraordinary history.

How to Experience the Semi-Finals

For fans attending in person: semi-final tickets at AT&T Stadium and MetLife Stadium are among the most coveted in sport — expect significant resale price premiums. For fans watching globally: the semi-finals broadcast in prime time across all major markets, making them the most accessible and widely watched fixtures outside the final. For fans in fan zones: New York's fan zone will host enormous screenings of the MetLife semi-final, with the stadium's proximity creating an electric atmosphere even for fans watching outside. This is football at its absolute peak — experience it however you can.