By Juan Samuel Santana Chávez

The England national team has established itself as one of the major players in the history of the FIFA World Cup. With their qualification for the semifinals of the 2026 edition, the English reached this stage for the fourth time in their history. They previously achieved this in 1966, 1990, and 2018, with the World Cup held on home soil being the only one where they managed to advance to the final and win the championship.

The first English semifinal came in 1966, when they defeated Portugal 2-1 before beating West Germany 4-2 in the final played at Wembley, securing the only World Cup title in their history. Twenty-four years later, in Italy 1990, England lost in a dramatic penalty shootout to West Germany after a 1-1 draw, while in Russia 2018, they were overcome 2-1 by Croatia in extra time, once again falling short of reaching the championship match.

Now, in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the team led by Thomas Tuchel has once again placed itself among the top four in the tournament after eliminating Norway in the quarterfinals. This qualification represents their fourth appearance in the semifinals and keeps alive the hope of ending a 60-year wait without lifting the World Cup, reaffirming the historical prominence of one of international football's most traditional teams.