Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: How the Blues fared in the semi-finals | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final concluded on July 15, with Spain and Argentina advancing to the final battle to lift the 18-carat gold trophy.

After the competition commenced with Manchester City having 18 players representing 12 different nations, the group stage saw Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov’s elimination from the tournament and 17 of his clubmates across 11 nations qualify for the Round of 32.

The conclusion of the Round of 32 marked the departures of six City players, including Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders (Netherlands), Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol (Croatia), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria) and Antoine Semenyo (Ghana).

Eleven Manchester City stars across seven nations then made it to the Round of 16, which concluded with the journeys of Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes (Portugal) and Omar Marmoush (Egypt), while eight of their clubmates across five nations advanced to the quarter-finals.

While the quarter-finals marked the end of the road for Erling Haaland (Norway) and Jeremy Doku (Belgium), six Manchester City stars across three nations qualified for the semi-finals.

Here’s how Manchester City players have performed in the World Cup semi-finals:

France vs Spain

Spain secured a 2-0 victory over France in the semi-final at Dallas Stadium on July 14.

La Roja were awarded a penalty after Lamine Yamal drew a foul committed by French left-back Lucas Digne in the 18-yard box. Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal successfully converted the spot kick in the 22nd minute.

Pedro Porro doubled their lead with a right-footed shot after being set up by Dani Olmo in the 58th minute, while the Frenchmen failed to open their scoring.

The match saw Manchester City teammates Rodri and Rayan Cherki pitted against each other.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was on the pitch for the entirety of the match and had 82 touches. He made six defensive contributions and won 4 (1) tackles, 12 (7) ground duels, and 4 (4) aerial duels while maintaining a pass accuracy of 87%.

Cherki came off the bench to replace Michael Olise in the 72nd minute. The City midfielder was involved in one key pass, completed 2 (2) successful dribbles, and won 2 (2) ground duels.

England vs Argentina

England suffered a 1-2 defeat against Argentina in the semi-final at Atlanta Stadium on July 15.

Following an intense yet goalless first half, Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for the Three Lions with a right-footed shot from close range from an assist by Morgan Rogers with a cross in the 55th minute.

Enzo Fernandez netted the equaliser for Argentina by finding the back of the net in the 85th minute with an assist by Lionel Messi following a corner.

Argentina’s winning goal came with Lautaro Martínez’s header from close range from another assist by Messi with a cross in the second minute of the second half’s stoppage time.

Manchester City’s Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson were named in the Three Lions’ starting XI and were on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.

Guehi had 62 touches, five defensive contributions, four clearances, and six recoveries. The 26-year-old won 2 (1) round duels and 2 (1) aerial duels while maintaining a pass accuracy of 98%.

Anderson, who picked up a yellow card in the 37th minute, had 73 touches, eight defensive contributions, three clearances, three recoveries and completed 1 (1) successful dribbles. The club record signing won 4 (3) tackles, 14 (9) ground duels and 4 (4) aerial duels.

City’s Nico O’Reilly came off the bench to replace Declan Rice on the pitch in the 82nd minute. The 21-year-old made two defensive contributions and won 1 (1) aerial duel.

England’s third-choice goalkeeper and Manchester City graduate James Trafford was named on the bench against Argentina.

Which Man City players are in the 2026 World Cup third-place playoff?

The 2026 World Cup third-place playoff will include five Manchester City stars, as Cherki, alongside the French squad, will face O’Reilly, Guehi, Anderson, Trafford and the Three Lions’ squad.

The match is set to take place at Miami Stadium on July 18.

The upcoming clash will be the fourth World Cup meeting between the two nations. They last met in the 2022 quarter-final, where Les Blues bagged a 2-1 victory over England.

Which Man City players are in the 2026 World Cup final?

While the competition began with Manchester City having one of the largest representations in terms of club football, only one player from the Premier League giants, Rodri, is now headed to the final.

The City midfield maestro has previously won the 2024 UEFA European Championship and the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League with La Roja.

Rodri, along with the rest of the Spanish squad are pitted against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.

Both sides have a perfectly even head-to-head record across their 14 previous meetings, with each winning six and two ending in a draw.

Their last meeting was a friendly match in March 2018, where La Roja secured an impressive 6-1 victory.

Their last competitive match dates back to the 1966 FIFA World Cup group stage, where Argentina bagged a 2-1 win against Spain.

Now, it remains to be seen if Manchester City’s Rodri is able to add the 2026 World Cup title to his long list of accolades on Sunday.