​A 39-year-old chase for one last World Cup trophy. A 27-year-old intent on snatching the crown away. A 23-year-old dragging England toward a page in history, and an 18-year-old who can bend entire defenses with no need to touch the ball. For the first time in the history of this exercise, the World Cup semifinals bring together the four best teams in the FIFA rankings, pitting the sport’s finest players against each other.
France faces Spain on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, while England takes on defending champions Argentina on Wednesday in Atlanta. The winners will meet on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Here are the ten players still standing at the peak of the tournament, the veterans and the prodigies, the names most likely to define this World Cup.
The tale of Balogun is written in goals. An eight-goal surge across six matches, including a hat trick against Algeria that tied the World Cup’s all-time scoring record and another strike against Austria that pushed that record beyond reach. He had a stretch where he found the net in nine consecutive World Cup games, a record no one else has approached in the tournament’s history. The body may carry the years, but the left foot remains as timeless as ever.
Another six-goal contributor, with three assists to accompany them, the frontrunner for both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball. His strikes against Senegal and Morocco belong in any conversation about the tournament’s most unforgettable goals. France has outscored opponents 16-2, and his presence has been the primary reason why.
Six goals as well, including goals in back-to-back knockout rounds, the latest a two-goal rescue against Norway that even Erling Haaland admired. At 23, he is playing as if he’s the best attacking midfielder on the planet just as England needs him most to be.
Six goals for another player, enough to push England’s captain past a long-standing milestone as England’s all-time top World Cup scorer. He carried England past Congo almost single-handedly in the round of 32, following a 61-goal season with Bayern Munich. England and France are the only teams left with two players who have reached five goals or more.
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner had never scored at a World Cup before this tournament. He has five goals now, including a first-half hat trick against Norway in the group stage, plus another in the quarterfinal win over Morocco. His 112th-minute strike from outside the box, a moment of genius that broke Switzerland in the quarterfinal, stands as one of the tournament’s signature clutch moments. Big games continue to find him, and he continues to answer.
The tournament’s assist leader has been the creative engine behind the Mbappe and Dembele fireworks. While those two finish, Olise is the architect who layouts the plays that make their goals inevitable.
Spain’s top scorer in this World Cup is netting four goals, delivered in two-pole bursts. He had a memorable brace against Sau that will live on in highlight reels for its efficiency and confidence.