England’s run may have ended in heartbreak against France, but the World Cup semi-finals must go on.
Argentina, Croatia, France and Morocco are the four countries who will be competing for a spot in the final this week.
It means we could see a showdown between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé – PSG teammates and two of the tournment’s leading lights – for football’s biggest prize on Sunday.
However, they face tough clashes against two of the World Cup’s trickiest and most dogged opponents first – here’s how to watch the Qatar 2022 semi-finals live.
When are the World Cup semi-finals?
The first World Cup 2022 semi-final is Argentina vs Croatia, which kicks off at 7pm (UK time – Qatar is three hours later) on Tuesday 13 December.
It is being played at the Lusail Stadium and live coverage comes from ITV1, with Mark Pougatch presenting the build-up from 6.15pm.
Commentary comes from Sam Matterface, Lee Dixon and Ally McCoist, with Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright providing analysis from the studio. Laura Woods and Karen Carney will provide additional insight from pitchside.
The second semi-final (and the one England would have played in were it not for their heartbreaking exit) is France vs Morocco, which kicks off at 7pm on Wednesday 14 December.
They will play at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, and the fixture is being aired live on BBC One, with coverage getting underway at 6.30pm.
The 2022 World Cup final is taking place on Sunday 18 December, kicking off at 3pm – it will be broadcast on both BBC One and ITV1.
With the final falling exactly four weeks after the tournament started on Sunday 20 November, this is the shortest tournament since the World Cup switched to its current, 32-team format in 1998.
The entire 2022 World Cup is being broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK, with the BBC and ITV sharing the rights.
All matches are therefore also available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer or the new ITVX streaming platform, depending on which broadcaster has the rights to that fixture.
What can you expect from the World Cup semi-finals?
The first semi-final is a meeting between the last two runners-up at the tournament: Argentina in 2014 and Croatia in 2018.
Momentum is building behind Messi’s push to cap his career with the biggest prize in the game.
The 35-year-old has carried his team to the semi-finals, almost in the same way Diego Maradona – the man with whom he is so often compared – led the South American nation to its most recent World Cup title in 1986.
“For us, he is our leader – he drives us, motivates us,” Argentina defender Nicolas Tagliafico said Monday. “We have that little bit extra when we go on the field. We are delighted that he is our captain.”
Now in Argentina’s way are Croatia, a country with a population of 4 million that is establishing a reputation as the most stubborn and durable of opponents.
They keep on surprising their opponents, just like four years ago, when their run to the final included a 3-0 victory over Argentina in the group stage. They also reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1998.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said his team’s World Cup performances are proving to be an inspiration to other underdogs, such as fellow semi-finalist Morocco.
“Everyone in life has a right to make dreams,” Dalić said. “The Croatia national team made that dream a reality for all small countries four years ago. We gave other countries the right to have those dreams.”
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Africa’s first team to reach the semis faces the intimidating prospect of Mbappé, the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals and the heir to the crown of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the most gifted player of his generation.
But Walid Regragui, Morocco’s French-born coach, has remained positive in the build-up.
He said: “I was asked if we can win the World Cup and I said, ‘Why not? We can dream, it doesn’t cost you anything to have dreams’.
“European countries are used to winning the World Cup and we have played top sides, we have not had an easy run. Anyone playing us is going to be afraid of us now.”
France remain the overwhelming favourites, however, and centre-back Raphael Varane said there will be no danger of complacency among his teammates.
“We have enough experience in the team to not fall into that trap,” he said. “We know Morocco aren’t here by chance. It is up to us, as experienced players, to make sure we are all prepared for another battle.”
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