Six Serie A players set to feature in 2026 World Cup semi-finals
Quick summary
A feature highlighting six players currently based at Serie A clubs who are projected to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals with their national teams.
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Attributed to original sourceThe quarter-final stage of the 2026 World Cup is complete, and a total of six Serie A players will be progressing through to the tournament’s semi-finals, which will kick off with France vs. Spain on Tuesday evening.
France eliminated Morocco 2-0 in their quarter-final on Tuesday, Spain overcame Belgium 2-1, England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra-time on Saturday night and Argentina needed the full 120 minutes again to get past Switzerland in the early hours of Sunday morning, eventually finishing at 3-1.
Now, only six Serie A players are left heading into the World Cup semi-finals. Four of them represent France and two represent Argentina.
The France squad boasts Milan pair Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, along with Roma midfielder Manu Kone and Inter forward Marcus Thuram. Argentina have Thuram’s regular strike partner Lautaro Martinez as well as Como superstar Nico Paz in their ranks.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 04: Mike Maignan #16 of France celebrates after the 1-0 victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Paraguay and France at Philadelphia Stadium on July 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) A total of 15 Serie A players were eliminated at the quarter-final stage , including Norway’s quintet of Italian-based players: Morten Thorsby, Leo Ostigard, Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, Torbjorn Heggem and Kristian Thorstvedt.
Belgium also had five Serie A players in their ranks, namely Napoli pair Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, Milan duo Koni De Winter and Alexis Saelemaekers and Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.
Roma’s Neil El-Aynaoui (Morocco) and Switzerland quartet Manuel Akani (Inter), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Ardon Jashari (Milan) and Michel Aebischer (Pisa) were the other Italian-based players to be eliminated during the World Cup quarter-finals.
Which Serie A players are left standing at the 2026 World Cup? EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 30: Marcus Thuram #9 of France walks out of the tunnel with teammates for warm ups before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images) France: Manu Kone (Roma), Marcus Thuram (Inter), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), Mike Maignan (Milan).
Spain: None.
England: None.
Argentina: Nico Paz (Como), Lautaro Martinez (Inter).
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What happened
The article spotlights six Serie A-based players expected to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup in North America. It connects club form in Italy's top flight with international pedigree, profiling players from various nationalities whose World Cup runs are anticipated to overlap with the latter stages of the tournament. The piece serves as a bridge between domestic and international football, underlining Serie A's continued relevance as a producer of elite talent on the world stage.
Chance analysis
This is a listicle-style preview linking Serie A club form to the upcoming 2026 World Cup knockout stage. For prediction systems, it reinforces that Serie A remains a talent pipeline, but the story is essentially a feature rather than actionable match intelligence. The competitive value lies in the implicit endorsement of certain Serie A players as international-calibre performers.