Is This the Year for a First-time World Cup Semi-finalist?

Since 1986, every World Cup except 1990 has featured a debut semi-finalist. Will Switzerland or Norway break through this year? If both miss out, the semi-finals could mirror the historic England–Argentina rivalry seen in tournaments past. France (1998) and Spain (2010) remain the only first-timers to go on and lift the trophy. Teams like Croatia, the Netherlands and Belgium have reached the last four multiple times without winning. Emerging nations such as Morocco, Portugal, South Korea, Turkey, Sweden and Bulgaria all enjoyed golden-era squads on their way to a first semi. Recent results underline these patterns. In 2022, Argentina beat Croatia and France overcame Morocco. In 2018, France stopped Belgium while Croatia edged England. Which nation will make history at the next World Cup?

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