Serie A at the World Cup: the players still in contention for the final
The semi-final line-up at the 2026 World Cup is now complete, and the quarter-finals once again underlined Serie A Enilive's influence on the tournament. Some players continue to lead their national teams, while others have bowed out after leaving their mark on the competition. With the semi-finals just around the corner, here are the players from the Italian top flight who remain in contention for the title.
De Ketelaere's excellent World Cup comes to an end
France's impressive march continues after a convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco, courtesy of goals from Mbappé and Dembélé. Serie A midfield duo Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot were once again named in the starting line-up for Les Bleus, while Mike Maignan enjoyed a quiet evening, with the North African side rarely testing him.
The meeting between Spain and Belgium was a much tighter affair, with Mikel Merino deciding the contest late on. After former Napoli midfielder Fabián Ruiz had opened the scoring, the Red Devils equalised through Charles De Ketelaere's third goal of the World Cup finals. The Belgian forward headed home a cross from former La Dea player Timothy Castagne and ended his tournament with another record to his name: no Atalanta player has ever scored more goals at a single World Cup.
Belgium’s defeat also brought an end to the tournament for Kevin De Bruyne, who started, and Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers, both of whom came off the bench. Spain advanced but conceded their first goal of the tournament, bringing their run of clean sheets to an end.
England edge past Norway after extra time
England vs. Norway went beyond 90 minutes in Miami. Jude Bellingham inspired the Three Lions with a superb brace, completing it with the winning goal in the first period of extra time. The Real Madrid star had already cancelled out the opening goal from Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup in normal time. Torbjørn Heggem, meanwhile, was denied a memorable goal following a VAR review, while Leo Østigård and Marcus Pedersen came off the bench in extra time.
Lautaro seals Argentina's place in the semi-finals
Argentina vs. Switzerland also required extra time in Kansas City. After Alexis Mac Allister and former Bologna player Dan Ndoye had made it 1-1 in normal time, the Albiceleste struck twice in extra time through Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.
Introduced in the closing minutes of the second half, the Inter captain once again proved decisive at a key moment in the tournament, putting the finishing touch to Argentina's qualification for the semi-finals. Nicolás González also featured for the South American side, with the winger set to return to Juventus after spending last season at Atlético Madrid.
Switzerland's historic World Cup campaign, meanwhile, came to an end after they reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954. Manuel Akanji and Remo Freuler bowed out following an outstanding tournament, while Ardon Jashari was given another opportunity, coming on shortly after the start of extra time.
Seven Serie A players remain
Following the conclusion of the quarter-finals, Serie A Enilive's representation has been reduced to seven players still in the running at the World Cup. They are split between France and Argentina: a final between the two sides would guarantee players from the Italian top flight in both teams, while Spain vs. England is the only possible final that would feature no Serie A Enilive players.
At club level, AC Milan still lead the way with two representatives, level with Inter. Roma, Como and Juventus each have one player remaining with a chance of lifting the trophy.
Argentina (3)
• Lautaro Martínez (Inter)
• Nico Paz (Como)
• *Nico Gonzalez (Juve)
France (4)
• Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
• Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan)
• Marcus Thuram (Inter)
• Manu Koné (Roma)