Tonight at the 2026 World Cup is a break between the quarter-finals and semi-finals: there are no matches in the window up to 08:00 Kyiv time. But starting Tuesday, the tournament enters its hottest phase — and the 2026 World Cup match schedule in Kyiv time for these two days is worth saving right now.
Today's window: no matches between 19:00–08:00
July 12 is an official rest day at the 2026 World Cup. All four semi-finalists are confirmed and the venues are ready, but there will be no kick-offs tonight. The next matches are tomorrow and the day after.
What's next: two semi-finals
- 22:00 Kyiv time, Tuesday, July 14. France vs Spain (semi-final). AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (Dallas).
- 22:00 Kyiv time, Wednesday, July 15. England vs Argentina (semi-final). Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
Conversion: kick-off at 15:00 ET = 22:00 Kyiv time (ET + 7 hours).
France vs Spain: the marquee match of the World Cup
Two of Europe's highest-ranked sides, two pre-tournament favourites — and a duel that fans have been anticipating since the first day of the group stage. France have gone six matches unbeaten, and Kylian Mbappé has scored eight goals in six games — the best tally at the tournament. Alongside him are Ousmane Dembélé (5 goals) and Michael Olise (6 assists). Spain have conceded just one goal throughout the entire tournament — against Belgium in the quarter-final — and advanced to the semi-finals thanks to Mikel Merino's goal in the 88th minute.
The headline duel of the match is Mbappé vs Lamine Yamal. They know each other well from the Real Madrid–Barcelona club rivalry, and at international level Spain have beaten France twice in a row: 2–1 in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final and 5–4 in the 2025 Nations League final. Yamal, who returned from injury during the group stage, is growing stronger with every match. France, for their part, are aiming to reach a third consecutive World Cup final. Something has to give — and that is exactly what makes the Dallas match unmissable.
Expected France line-up: Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, T. Hernández; Tchouaméni, Camavinga; Dembélé, Mbappé, Barcola; Thuram. Spain have no significant injury concerns: Yamal, Rodri and Pedri are expected to start in their usual roles.
England vs Argentina: Messi vs Kane
Argentina — the reigning world champions — reached the semi-finals after a dramatic 3–1 victory over Switzerland in extra time. Lionel Messi shares the top-scorer lead with Mbappé — both on 8 goals. England edged past Norway 2–1, also in extra time: it is only the Three Lions' fourth World Cup semi-final appearance in their entire history. Manager Thomas Tuchel is pleased with the team's character, although the performances have been far from perfect so far. A detailed preview of this match is available in the article on Argentina's path to the semi-finals.
What happens after the semi-finals
The winners will meet in the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (kick-off at 22:00 Kyiv time). The losers will play the third-place match on July 18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Match reports for every game will appear in the evening edition of "Night Mundial" and the morning digest the following day on mundialtoday.com.
Photo: Yahoo Sports Staff · Editorial (source)
