Valdano predicts World Cup 2026 final between France and Argentina

Jorge Valdano has put France and Argentina on a collision course for the World Cup 2026 final as the tournament enters its last week, with the semifinals set for July 14 and July 15 in Dallas and Atlanta. France meets Spain at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, and England faces Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, with the title match scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026.

The bracket reflects the scale of a World Cup spread across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with 48 teams playing 104 matches in 16 host cities. Argentina reached the last four after a 3-1 win over Switzerland, France advanced by beating Morocco 2-0, Spain got past Belgium 1-0, and England eliminated Norway. Those results leave the final stretch shaped by four sides that have arrived through different routes, from Spain’s narrow control to Argentina’s more decisive score line and France’s clean win over Morocco.

Valdano’s read carries added weight because Movistar Plus presents Universo Valdano as a football conversation with one of the game’s most respected voices. In a recent exchange with Iker Casillas, Valdano weighed the historical strength of South American and European football, a debate that fits the way he has framed the 2026 tournament. He has also already discussed the World Cup with Andrés Iniesta on the same program, and Iniesta’s confidence in Spain gives extra context to the semifinal that now pits Spain against France.

The two projected finalists also speak to the different ways elite national teams are built. France arrives with the kind of tournament record that has long been associated with depth and adaptability, while Argentina’s 3-1 defeat of Switzerland reinforces a team that can combine control with a sharper edge in decisive moments. Spain’s 1-0 win over Belgium points to another model, one that relies on precision and patience, and England’s run through Norway adds a fourth variant, built to survive tight knockout games on the way to the final rounds.

That is why Valdano’s forecast is about more than a single score line. A France-Argentina final would place two of the sport’s most durable football cultures on the same stage in a World Cup already expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches. With Dallas and Atlanta set to decide the semifinalists, the tournament’s closing week will also say something broader about where international football is heading.