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France coach Didier Deschamps (R) hugs France's Desire Doue after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against Morocco at Boston Stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
There have been 100 games of football so far at the 2026 men's World Cup and at the end of it all, the four semi-finalists and the top four in the FIFA rankings.
All the talk of spreading the game and taking the World Cup to new horizons has been replaced with the cold, hard reality that Europe and at least one South American team still dominate.
It is the first time that the rankings have mirrored the men's semi-finals, but it is also partly because FIFA devised the draw to keep the four apart until now.
Whether top-ranked France can stick to form and lift the trophy for a third time in New Jersey next Sunday is not a foregone conclusion.
All pundits agree that Didier Deschamps' side have been the best by far, with their pace up top through Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé complemented by the guile and trickery of Michael Olise just behind.
Olise tops the assist list with five while Mbappé is the joint-leader in the Golden Boot race.
"We are fighting for France. We are playing with passion," the forward said.
But their defence has not been severely tested up to now and Tuesday's semi-final near Dallas with European champions Spain gives the Spanish the chance to rack up a third straight win against Les Bleus.
La Roja won the Euro 2024 semi 2-1 and then triumphed 5-4 in a wild Nations League game last year.
Simón the key for Spain?
Third-ranked Spain have not hit the same heights in this tournament, relying on Mikel Merino to come off the bench and score late goals to down Portugal and Belgium.
But their backline and goalkeeper have been rock solid, with Unai Simón going a World Cup record 649 minutes without conceding over two tournaments.
"I can remain calm and composed under pressure," said the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper. "It is probably innate."
The Basque will have to be at his best again against France, but his exploits mean his side have hopes of another tight win.
The other semi-final pits second-ranked holders Argentina against fourth-ranked England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Neither have been in full flow this tournament but have world class match-winners in the great Lionel Messi as well as Three Lions pair Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who both have six goals each.
Messi and Kane coming off quieter games
In an ominous sign for England, World Cup record scorer Messi failed to find the net for the first time this edition in the 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland on Saturday.
He is level with Mbappé's eight atop this year's scoring charts and is unlikely to miss out again in the semi, although Argentina will notice that Kane also had an unusually quiet game in the 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in their quarter-final.
The fact Real Madrid's Bellingham stepped up with another two goals to make the difference shows England are not a one-man team. But only one other England player - Marcus Rashford - has scored this tournament in a worrying development for German coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Miami heat played a factor in a last-eight win he himself described as "lucky" - but Atlanta has a closed roof and air-conditioning.
"Everyone is ready to attack the last eight days of the tournament," Tuchel said.
A Julián Alvarez special helped overcome the Swiss and England will be wary of focusing too much on Messi and not enough of the rest of the world champions' assets.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni knows how rare retaining a World Cup is, with Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) the only men's sides to do it.
It is another variable counting against his team but after shrugging off the Swiss, he was feeling bold.
"Even though we could have played better, being in a semi-final again is historic," Scaloni said.
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France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against Morocco at Boston Stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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France's Ousmane Dembele (L) scores his side's second goal of the game during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Spain's Mikel Merino (L) celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium. Dirk Waem/Belga/dpa
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Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) celebrates the victory with goalkeeper Juan Musso the victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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England's Harry Kane (L) and Norway's Andreas Schjelderup battle for the ball during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Norway and England at the Miami Stadium. Martin Rickett/PA Wire/dpa
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England's Jude Bellingham scores his side's second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Norway and England at the Miami Stadium. Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
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England manager Thomas Tuchel is pictured during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Norway and England at the Miami Stadium. Bradley Collyer/PA Wire/dpa
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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni gestures during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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