Ranking the Major Threats in the 2026 World Cup Semifinals

The semifinals kick off Tuesday with a supercharged battle between France and Spain.

The world’s best players will go head-to-head this week. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated; Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

Only four teams remain in the 2026 World Cup, which means 44 have already passed through the exit door.

France and Spain will lock horns on Tuesday in Dallas, before Argentina and England duel on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Perhaps the real difference between great teams and the absolute best of the best is not tactical ingenuity, the savviest of foot skills or even pure grit. Perhaps the difference is harboring a true world-class player—or multiple—that never fails to conjure the unimaginable when the going gets tough. All four of the remaining teams harbor that type of world-class player on their rosters, healthy and ready to be the hero.

Here, Sports Illustrated looks at the major threats of the 2026 World Cup semifinals and ranks them.

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8. Mikel Merino (Spain)

Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino has quickly established himself as the premier substitute of the summer.

The 30-year-old Arsenal man needed just two minutes on the pitch to score the 88th minute game-winner against Belgium to avoid extra time and secure his country’s place in the last four.

His quarterfinal heroics came immediately after he bagged the stoppage time game-winner against Portugal in the round of 16, approximately six minutes after he stepped onto the pitch.

Merino has a flair for the dramatics and comes to life in the tensest of moments. France will be wary of the kind of energy he brings to the pitch in the semifinal’s dying minutes.

7. Ousmane Dembélé (France)

Ousmane Dembélé netted a hat trick against Norway in the group stage. | Maddie Meyer/FIFA/Getty Images

This summer, Ousmane Dembélé has silenced all doubters about his capabilities in a French national team uniform.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner had been feeling the pressure heading into this World Cup, failing to score across his first four major tournaments for his country, including his 11 previous World Cup appearances across the 2018 and 2022 editions.

That pressure continued to mount in France’s opener against Senegal, in which Dembélé struggled to make an impact. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star scored a goal against Iraq in France’s second group stage match, which apparently opened the flood gates. He had a hat trick in the finale against Norway and scored a decisive goal against Morocco in the quarterfinal.

Whether he is seeking revenge or simply finding his bearings on the international stage, Dembélé is a force to be reckoned with.

6. Michael Olise (France)

Michael Olise is France’s creative mastermind. | Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated

Michael Olise has been the creative mastermind behind much of France’s immense success this summer. He is the puppeteer in the midfield, pulling all of the attacking strings. He directs the transitions and is always one step ahead.

The 24-year-old Bayern Munich star is difficult to contain, but Spain will be adamant to, just as Morocco was in the quarterfinals. Even though the Atlas Lions heavily limited Olise, the attacking midfielder still launched nine passes into the final third to create dangerous opportunities.

He should be able to do the same against Spain.

5. Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Lamine Yamal has been plagued with a hamstring injury. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

The generational-talent, Lamine Yamal, hasn’t quite been the shining star people expected him to be in his World Cup debut. In fact, his three-year-old brother, Keyne, might be stealing the show.

The now-19-year-old Barcelona winger suffered a hamstring injury in the spring that has impeded his ability to be at full speed this summer. Additionally, the prodigy has been surrounded by defenders every time he touches the ball, simply because teams knows the type of mockery he can make of players from the wing with his silky moves and ball control.

Yamal remains a serious threat to France, who will likewise look to suffocate him. If they can’t, he is bound to wreak havoc.

4. Harry Kane (England)

Harry Kane is making a serious run for the Golden Boot | Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated

After three World Cups, legendary striker Harry Kane is no stranger to playing the hero and has no intention of stopping either.

The 2018 Golden Boot winner was especially integral to the nail-biting 2–1 win over DR Congo in the round of 32, netting a brace in the span of 11 minutes to negate his opponent’s early lead and ensure safe passage.

The 32-year-old Bayern Munich powerhouse has six goals this summer, making a serious bid for a second-career Golden Boot. He could have a field day with Argentina’s rather-porous backline.

3. Jude Bellingham (England)

Jude Bellingham was integral to the win over Norway. | Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated

Jude Bellingham will never forget how the England fans at Hard Rock Stadium serenaded him after the win he orchestrated against a hardy Norway side in the quarterfinal. All the 23-year-old midfielder could do was gaze around in awe.

The Real Madrid man netted both of the goals in the 2–1 win over Erling Haaland and Co., his second-consecutive brace after even more heroics were needed against Mexico in the hallowed Estadio Azteca in the round of 16.

Bellingham has shown up for the Three Lions when they needed him most, and they will need him against Spain.

2. Kylian Mbappé (France)

Kylian Mbappé has established himself as the king of the World Cup. | Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated

Kylian Mbappé is the undisputed king of the World Cup. He has scored 20 goals in 20 total World Cup appearances across three tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), and he is a significant reason for France’s success across these three iterations.

He currently sits behind Lionel Messi for the all-time World Cup goals record. Messi, who has 21 total, is competing in his sixth World Cup, though.

On the off chance Mbappé isn’t scoring goals, then he is probably assisting then, proving his worth in all facets of the attack. The Real Madrid striker has three assists thus far this summer, in addition to his eight goals to lead the Golden Boot race. Should France defeat Spain, he will be the primary reason why.

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Lionel Messi is redefining age. | Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated

Nobody expected 39-year-old Lionel Messi to dominate his sixth-career World Cup, least of all Messi himself. The Inter Miami star wasn’t even sure if he would feel ready to compete, waiting until the last possible second to give Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni his decision.

Many assumed it would be best if Messi just left the past in the past. After all, he left 2022 with the World Cup trophy and the Golden Ball. Why taint that memory by forcing something now that is just too far gone?

It took all of 17 minutes into the World Cup to erase that narrative. By the end of Argentina’s opener against Algeria, Messi had scored his first World Cup hat trick and proved that age really is just a silly number. Now, the soccer legend is up to eight goals this summer to give Mbappé a serious run for his money.

He has permanently left his superhero cape on, serving as the main reason why Argentina narrowly survived Egypt in the round of 16. With genuinely every single player on Argentina’s roster holding him up, he is unstoppable.

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