Ranking the World Cup semifinalists: How do Argentina, France, Spain and England stack up?

And then there were four teams remaining, and somehow, they're also the teams that came into the World Cup as the top four in the FIFA rankings. France, Spain, Argentina, and England are the final four teams standing on the road to next Sunday's final, and they've performed like the favorites that they are. In Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, the two Golden Boot leaders are still in the running, along with the chasing pack of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, while the winners from 2022 (Argentina) and the runners-up (France) are on a collision course if they can keep their runs going.

While on one hand, this is a chalk final four, the World Cup is the stage where you want to see the biggest stars and best teams in the world clash, so it's still a good thing that these are the teams left standing because it will ensure that the semifinals are evenly matches while still leading to an epic finsih to the tournament -- and a strange third place match if you're into those. With these teams being settled, though, it's a time to take a look at each team remaining and see where they stand:

4. Argentina

While Argentina had the easiest path through the knockout stages to make it here, they needed to become the comeback kings of the World Cup to get there, being forced to extra time twice, and the one time that they didn't, Argentina had to score three goals after the 86th minute to avoid extra time and defeat Egypt. They've mainly been powered by Messi, who has a goal or an assist in every game of the World Cup, but their extra-time victory over Switzerland is the first time that he didn't score a goal, with Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Lautaro Martinez all scoring.

That part is important, as for all of Argentina's excellence, and a bit of good fortune, they can't win the World Cup only through Messi. While he's one of the best players in the world, coming up against a side like France with Mbappe will similarly have someone who can single-handedly change a game, and it shows in being the only player to score eight goals in two different World Cup tournaments. 

When it comes to the Argentina XI, Rodrigo De Paul has struggled in midfield, and they've also been tortured by wingers, which will be an issue coming up against Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, and England. Lionel Scaloni has been able to find a way so far, but when looking at all four teams remaining, Argentina have the most questions at this stage.

3. England

Coming into the tournament, this was expected to be the Kane show for England. And while that has been the case, to a degree, with Kane scoring six goals and assisting one more, the knockout stage has brought out the best in Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid midfielder has now scored braces in consecutive matches to equal Kane's six World Cup goals. That duo is what makes England so dangerous, as injuries and suspensions have limited Thomas Tuchel's squad. Jarell Quansah is still suspended for the semifinal match, while Jordan Henderson is out with an injury. Reece James should be available after coming off the bench against Norway, which would be a big boost for England, but when their biggest threat has been themselves in major tournaments, surviving these matches is important. 

On paper, England have the worst expected goals and expected goals allowed of the four remaining teams, but a large portion of that is down to going down a man while facing Mexico. This team, which doesn't rise to the tier of the other two semifinalists, are well poised to give Argentina trouble as the Three Lions look to make the World Cup final for the first time since winning the entire tournament in 1966. It may not be coming home, but this is the closest England have been to dreaming in quite a while.

2. France

Kylian Mbappe is matching Lionel Messi step for step at the World Cup with eight goals of his own, upstaging his own French teammates at this tournament. Ousmane Dembele has five goals and two assists, and Michael Olise has five assists, only one behind Pelé for the most at any single edition of the World Cup. As France are in the midst of Didier Deschamps' last World Cup in charge of the team, they've morphed into one of the best attacking squads in the world. Les Bleus are usually associated with being a bit of a plodding side that takes the fun out of games, but that hasn't been the case during this World Cup. Even going through these attackers, I haven't mentioned Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, who have also chipped in when needed. It's an embarrassment of riches going forward for Deschamps, and when he's a manager who wants to get his best 11 on the field whenever possible, it shouldn't be a surprise that they've been able to attack like this.

Physicality has been where France has struggled, as Paraguay gave France everything that they could handle in the round of 16. Some of that is also chalked up to heat, but that won't be a factor in the semifinal since that takes place in a climate-controlled stadium in Dallas. But France will face off against the best defense in the tournament and a midfield that can push them, especially if Aurelien Tchouameni doesn't return to the starting XI. With only Andre Rabiot, N'Golo Kante, Kouadio Kone, Warren Zaire-Emery, and Tchouameni in central midfield, if there's one area of this quad that could be a concern, it's the centre of the park, which is where Spain are at their strongest.

1. Spain

My pick to win the World Cup before the tournament started and still holding that place, Spain haven't hit their top gear, but they've gotten matches into submission to make the semifinals. Partially, this is down to the defense, even with Unai Simon's record shutout streak coming to an end, and another large portion is down to Mikel Oyarzabal picking up the slack in attack to score four goals while Lamine Yamal struggles to get back to his best. While the Barcelona man can break a game open at any moment, it has felt like he is pushing too much during this World Cup. Taking shots from distance is one of the things that makes Yamal great, but it also creates easy counter attacks for other teams to take advantage of.

That's where Spain's midfield comes into play. Having Pedri and Rodri, even if there's a counter attack coming their way, Spain can clean it up. They're also so pragmatic when attacking under Luis de la Fuente that if Spain aren't pressed, they'll just pass you into submission. Both Portugal and Belgium figured out that fate while also learning about super sub Mikel Merino, that's right, six of Spain's 11 goals during the World Cup have been scored by someone named Mikel, able to play in midfield or pop up as an emergency striker. There aren't many better players to bring off the bench during a tournament like the World Cup. Spain's approach and depth are what set them apart, and while it may be a 1a and 1b situation when trying to separate them from France, it makes enough of a difference to rank them first here, as Dallas will be home to as much of a World Cup final as New Jersey.