Kathmandu, July 14
Defending champions Argentina have reached the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026, along with France, Spain, and England.
In the semifinals of the World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Argentina will face England, while France will face Spain.
Goalkeepers of all these teams have delivered outstanding performances to help their teams reach this stage. Here’s a look at how the four semifinalist teams’ goalkeepers have fared.
Unai Simón (Spain)
Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simón’s statistics are almost hard to believe. Through six matches, opposing teams have managed to score just one goal against Simón.
He kept a clean sheet in each of his first five matches, and the only goal he conceded came in the quarterfinal against Belgium. His critics argue that Spain’s defence is extremely solid and that Simón has had to work far less than other goalkeepers.
As a result, he hasn’t faced much pressure so far. But that will all change on Tuesday, when he comes up against a France side that has already scored 16 goals in the tournament. Kylian Mbappé is the most dangerous striker in the world. If Simón manages to stop him too, he’ll settle the debate over who is the tournament’s best.
Mike Maignan (France)
France’s Mike Maignan is a strong contender for the Golden Glove, awarded to the tournament’s best goalkeeper. The reason is clear: France has conceded only two goals in six matches.
Maignan has been busier than his Spanish counterpart Simón and has made numerous saves to protect France’s lead. History also favours him.
In four of the last five tournaments, the Golden Glove has gone to a goalkeeper from the winning team. And this time, France is a strong contender for the title.
If Spain’s defence breaks down on Tuesday, Maignan could find himself at the top of the list by Wednesday morning.
Jordan Pickford (England)
England’s Jordan Pickford is truly a goalkeeper who has had to work hard on the field. England’s defence doesn’t have the same solidity as Spain’s or France’s. Pickford has repeatedly had to cover for the defence’s mistakes.
His best performance came in the round of 16 against Mexico, where England, reduced to 10 players, struggled to hold onto their lead under intense pressure from the home crowd.
Pickford made save after save to keep Mexico out, and England won 3-2. Even so, more is expected from him.
Among the goals England has conceded, at least two were shots that a goalkeeper of his calibre should have been able to stop easily.
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina)
Four years ago, Martínez was the best goalkeeper of the World Cup, and he was one of the biggest reasons Argentina won the title. The moment he stopped France in the final’s penalty shootout remains iconic in history.
This time, he’s in contention to become the first goalkeeper to win the Golden Glove for a second consecutive time. But this journey hasn’t been smooth for him; a goal has been scored against him in every knockout-stage match.
Among all the goalkeepers who have reached the quarterfinals, he has made the fewest saves. Like Pickford, Martínez too appears to have let in shots he could have stopped.
But the counter-argument is his entire career, filled with big saves in big matches. Whatever happens, Argentina hasn’t given up on winning.
