Best Player of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Semi-finals: Spain shine, Argentina fight back, and the final is set

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has its two finalists.

And the semi-finals delivered exactly what this stage of the tournament promises.

Two matches of the highest quality.

Two completely different footballing stories.

On one side, Spain produced arguably their most complete collective performance of the tournament.

On the other, Argentina once again proved why they remain one of the hardest teams in world football to eliminate once momentum swings in their favour.

Beyond the results themselves, both semi-finals featured standout individual performances worthy of recognition.

The Offside looks back at both matches and highlights the players who defined the penultimate stage of the World Cup.

Spain 2–0 France

On paper, it was the meeting of two tournament favourites.

On the pitch, it became a Spanish masterclass.

Few teams have managed to control France the way Spain did over the full ninety minutes.

The ball moved quickly.

Their counter-press was relentless.

And whenever France managed to recover possession, they immediately found themselves trapped without passing options.

Didier Deschamps' side spent much of the evening chasing shadows.

Unable to establish control in midfield.

Unable to generate pace down the flanks.

Unable to connect with their biggest stars.

It was an unusually poor night by French standards.

Lucas Digne endured one of the toughest matches of his recent career.

Beyond conceding the penalty that led to Spain's opener, he struggled throughout against Lamine Yamal on Spain's right flank.

Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and, later, Rayan Cherki all failed to create any sustained attacking threat.

Perhaps only Adrien Rabiot—before being substituted after picking up a yellow card—and Aurélien Tchouaméni managed to maintain a competitive level for long stretches.

But reducing the story to France's poor display would be unfair.

Spain forced it.

Rodri completely dictated midfield.

Dani Olmo repeatedly found pockets between the lines.

Pedro Porro constantly joined the attack and scored Spain's second goal.

Lamine Yamal was virtually unplayable throughout the night.

Yet, for us, the player who best embodied Spain's qualification was Marc Cucurella.

The new Real Madrid left-back completely locked down his side of the pitch.

He repeatedly shut down Mbappé, Olise, Dembélé and Cherki.

Won virtually every key duel.

And still contributed significantly during Spain's build-up play.

It was a complete full-back performance.

The kind that rarely dominates headlines but often explains why one team completely controls another for ninety minutes.

Man of the Match: Marc Cucurella

• 7 defensive actions

• 87% passing accuracy

• Won 3 of 4 tackles

• Won 4 ground duels

While everyone focused on Spain's attacking stars, Cucurella quietly won almost every battle that mattered.

Argentina 2–1 England

If Spain vs France was about control, Argentina vs England was about chaos.

And that's exactly what made it so captivating.

England started brilliantly.

They pressed aggressively.

Controlled possession.

Won the ball back high up the pitch.

Their opening goal felt like a natural consequence of their dominance.

Ironically, everything changed immediately after they scored.

Once ahead, Thomas Tuchel chose to retreat.

England gradually dropped deeper.

More defenders were introduced.

Dan Burn came on late and eventually became an emergency target man for long balls in the attacking phase.

Meanwhile, Argentina did exactly what they thrive on.

They pinned England inside their own half.

Circulated possession.

Flooded the box with crosses.

Built relentless pressure.

Lionel Scaloni read the match perfectly.

His substitutions injected even more intensity into Argentina's attacks.

England lost physical control of midfield, gradually surrendered territory and were left defending wave after wave of Argentine pressure.

The equaliser felt inevitable.

Once it arrived, the winner seemed only a matter of time.

Once again, Lionel Messi became the brain behind everything Argentina created.

He didn't score.

He didn't need to.

Instead, he orchestrated virtually every dangerous attack.

He directly assisted both goals.

Found impossible passing lanes between England's defensive lines.

And once again produced a World Cup performance that reminds everyone why, at 39 years old, he remains capable of deciding the biggest matches in football.

Alongside him, Enzo Fernández dictated possession once Argentina took control, while Cristian Romero once again led the defence superbly as the Albiceleste grew into the match.

For England, Djed Spence delivered arguably his finest performance of the tournament despite playing out of position at left-back, frustrating Argentina's attacks for much of the game and creating dangerous attacking plays down the left flank in the first half.

Elliot Anderson also impressed while England were still able to compete physically in midfield.

Ultimately, however, Tuchel's tactical changes altered the balance of the semi-final completely.

Argentina took full advantage.

And booked yet another place in a World Cup Final.

Man of the Match: Lionel Messi

• 2 assists

• 4 key passes

• Completed 10 of 12 dribbles

Some players need constant possession to decide matches, Messi only needs a few moments to completely change the course of a World Cup semi-final.

What do you think?

The semi-finals delivered two very different footballing stories.

Spain overwhelmed one of the tournament favourites with an outstanding collective display.

Argentina once again showed their ability to absorb pressure, fight back and deliver when everything was on the line.

Now we want to hear from you.

🗳️ Who was the best player of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Semi-finals?