- Historic milestone: for the first time since FIFA rankings began (1992), the top four teams entering the tournament—Argentina (No. 1), Spain (No. 2), France (No. 3) and England (No. 4)—all made the World Cup semifinals.
- Semifinal matchups and dates: France vs. Spain on July 14 in Arlington, and England vs. Argentina on July 15 in Atlanta; the winners meet in the final on July 19 in East Rutherford.
- Chalky final four: all four were pre-tournament favorites with relatively short odds, making this one of the most expected (least upset-filled) semifinal lineups in recent World Cup history.
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