The 90 minutes have decided the majority of World Cup semi-final matches in history, with 29 of 38 matches ending within that time, compared to four that went to extra time and five that required penalty shootouts. Ahead of the matches between Spain and France, and Argentina and England in the 2026 World Cup, the four teams await the path that will lead them to the final: a victory in regular time, a struggle extending to the 120th minute, or a nerve-wracking contest from the penalty spot. In the first World Cup in 1930, both semi-finals were decided in 90 minutes, as Argentina beat the United States 6-1, while Uruguay beat Yugoslavia by the same score. The competition continued in the same manner during the 1934 and 1938 World Cups, where both semi-finals were also decided in 90 minutes, before the World Cup paused until its return in 1950. In 1950, the final rounds were played in a group stage format without a semi-final round, while the 1954 World Cup saw the first semi-final match decided in extra time, when Hungary beat Uruguay 4-2 in extra time, while Germany beat Austria 6-1 in 90 minutes in the other semi-final. Not much changed in 1958, where both semi-finals were decided in 90 minutes, without extra time, and the same in 1962 and 1966. Extra time decided the Italy-West Germany clash in the 1970 semi-final, when Italy beat West Germany 4-3 after extra time, while Brazil beat Uruguay in regular time in the other semi-final. There were no semi-final matches in the 1974 World Cup, as the final rounds were played directly after the group stage, and similarly in 1978. Germany beat Italy 5-4 on penalties in the 1982 World Cup semi-final, after a 3-3 draw in regular time, making this the first semi-final decided by penalty shootout in World Cup history. The 1986 World Cup saw both semi-finals decided in 90 minutes, while Argentina beat Italy 4-3 on penalties in the 1990 World Cup semi-final after a 1-1 draw at the end of regular and extra time, and Germany beat England 4-3 on penalties in the other semi-final, also after a 1-1 draw. Nothing changed in 1994, where both semi-finals were decided without penalties or extra time, while Brazil beat the Netherlands 4-2 on penalties in the 1998 World Cup semi-final, and both semi-finals of the 2002 edition ended in 90 minutes. In the 2006 World Cup, Italy beat Germany 2-0 after extra time, while France beat Portugal 1-0 in regular time in the other semi-final, and both semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup were decided in regular time. During the 2014 World Cup, Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in 90 minutes, while Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at the end of regular and extra time. Croatia needed extra time to beat England 2-1 in a match that extended to 120 minutes, while France beat Belgium 1-0 in the 2018 semi-finals. It is worth mentioning that Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, and France beat Morocco 2-0, without needing extra time or penalties in the last edition.