After Philly soccer fans get a breather, it’s on to the World Cup semifinals

Philly soccer fans have experienced most of, if not the entire spectrum of human emotion over the last three weeks. But now, after a breather, the World Cup resumes Tuesday with the first semifinal match. Here’s a look back at how Philadelphia watched the field of 32 teams get whittled down to just four:

For half of the World Cup’s participants, their dreams ended after just three matches. Some of Philly’s largest and most supportive fan bases saw their teams fail to advance out of the group stage, like Mexico, Ghana, and Germany. And while elimination stings, there has still been plenty to keep fans watching.

» READ MORE: World Cup is Life - Whether you call it fútbol, futebol, كرة القدم,축구, fußball, or simply soccer — it is more than merely a game for many communities in Philly

Arab teams have played well above expectations over the tournament — none better than Morocco, the first African team to ever advance to a World Cup semifinal. The North African coastal nation was not even favored to make it out of its own group but has since pulled shocking upsets again Spain and Portugal.

On Wednesday, the Morocccans face their greatest challenge yet: a semifinal match against tournament favorite France. Advancing to the World Cup final always feels nice, but potentially doing it against your own historical colonizer adds something extra.

» READ MORE: ‘We showed up’: Morocco’s World Cup performance fuels pride among Philly Arabs

The pressure was on for the United States before its first kickoff, after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The second-youngest team in the tournament scrapped through tight, dramatic matches in group play, including a must-win game in its final match again Iran.

The Baby Eagles ultimately lost in the round of 16, showing their age against a more clinical Netherlands team. Philly fans hope that this experience hardens them before they cohost the next tournament in 2026, but don’t worry, there’s more World Cup soccer on the way — the U.S. will be one of the favorites at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

But for now, U.S. soccer fans in Philly and elsewhere watch the rest of this tournament with heavy hearts. Grant Wahl, one of the most prominent American soccer journalists and advocates, died suddenly in Qatar on Friday while covering the tournament. Wahl was beloved for his kindness and generosity, as well as his bravery in covering human-rights abuses around the sport, as shown in any one of the many tributes to him that have come since his passing.

» READ MORE: Grant Wahl: A remembrance of an accomplished sportswriter whose untimely death shook the World Cup

Argentina’s road to the semifinals has been soaked in drama. After an entirely unexpected loss to Saudi Arabia in its first match of the tournament, Lionel Messi’s squad shouldered the weight of its blue and white striped jerseys and advanced to a quarterfinal match against Netherlands. While the Dutch leveled the game in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Argentina ultimately won an agonizing penalty shootout.

Argentina fans looked forward to a potential matchup against their South American rival, Brazil, but the joyous, dancing Brazilians lost their own quarterfinal penalty shootout against Croatia.

There are three matches left in this World Cup (four if you count the third-place match), beginning with Croatia vs. Argentina on Tuesday and Morocco vs. France on Wednesday; then, no more men’s World Cup games for another four years.

While the results of the rest of the tournament are anything but certain, Philly’s screams, agony, joy, and celebration as it plays out are a sure bet.