​The 2026 World Cup quarter-finals have concluded, and six players from Serie A have advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals. The semi-finals will begin with France taking on Spain on Tuesday evening. In the quarter-finals, France defeated Morocco 2-0, while Spain edged Belgium 2-1. England needed extra time to overcome Norway, winning 2-1 on Saturday night, and Argentina required the full 120 minutes to get past Switzerland, finishing 3-1 in the early hours of Sunday morning. With those results, only six Serie A players remain in contention for the World Cup title.
Four of the Serie A survivors represent France, while two represent Argentina. France’s squad includes Milan’s Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, Roma’s Manu Kone, and Inter’s Marcus Thuram. Argentina’s contingent features Lautaro Martinez, Thuram’s regular strike partner, and Como’s Nico Paz. A photo caption noted Maignan celebrating France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 in Philadelphia, underscoring the ongoing involvement of Serie A talents in the later stages of the tournament.
In total, 15 Serie A players were eliminated at the quarter-final stage. Among those eliminated were five Italian-based players from Norway: Morten Thorsby, Leo Ostigard, Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, Torbjorn Heggem, and Kristian Thorstvedt. Belgium also contributed five Serie A participants: Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli, Alessio De Winter and Alexis Saelemaekers from Milan, and Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta. Roma’s Neil El-Aynaoui represented Morocco, while a Swiss quartet—Manuel Akani (Inter), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Ardon Jashari (Milan), and Michel Aebischer (Pisa)—were among the other Italian-based players eliminated in the World Cup quarter-finals.
A visual from East Rutherford, New Jersey, captured Marcus Thuram walking onto the pitch for France during the Round of 32 match against Sweden, illustrating the ongoing presence of Serie A players across the World Cup stages. Looking at the current breakdown by nation and club: France has Manu Kone (Roma), Marcus Thuram (Inter), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), and Mike Maignan (Milan). There are no remaining players from Spain or England in the semi-finals, while Argentina features Nico Paz (Como) and Lautaro Martinez (Inter). This configuration highlights the prominent role Serie A players continue to play in shaping the World Cup narrative as the tournament advances toward its final rounds.