France vs Spain: A Heavyweight Clash

France, the 1998 and 2018 World Cup champions, face Spain, winners in 2010, in a heavyweight European clash today in Dallas, Texas, in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals.

France has enjoyed an almost perfect campaign in this tournament, collecting 9 points from a possible 9 in Group 9 before advancing through three knockout rounds without conceding a single goal. They defeated Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32, Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16, and delivered a strong performance against Morocco (2-0) in the quarter-finals, despite their star, captain, and top scorer Kylian Mbappé missing an early penalty.

Reaching the semi-finals for the third consecutive World Cup places Didier Deschamps’ side in historic territory. The "Blues" have reached the final four for the eighth time, a feat surpassed only by Germany (12 times). Today also marks a new record for Deschamps, who has managed 26 matches in World Cup history.

Reaching their third consecutive final in football’s biggest tournament will place France among a select group of just three nations (alongside Brazil and Germany) to achieve this milestone, offering them a chance to avenge the disappointment of four years ago, when a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in Qatar denied them the title.

Spain, the current European champions, surprisingly drew their opening Group 8 match against Cape Verde (0-0), but regained their composure to top the group with 7 points (two wins and a draw), continuing their upward trajectory in performance. Before this summer, La Roja had not won a World Cup knockout match since their triumph in South Africa in 2010. However, they eliminated Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32 and Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16, before conceding their first goal of the tournament in a 2-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium. Substitute Arsenal striker Mikel Merino shone, scoring decisive late goals in the last two matches.

This is only the second time since 2010 that Spain has reached the World Cup semi-finals, though there is a positive indicator: they have qualified for the semi-finals in six of their last seven major tournament appearances. Furthermore, their coach Luis de la Fuente holds the longest unbeaten streak in World Cup and European Championship history, with 12 wins and one draw. Entering this clash with confidence, Spain has not suffered a defeat in regular time since March 2024, recording 26 wins and 10 draws. If this streak continues, Spain will equal Italy’s all-time record of 37 matches, set in 2021.

The two teams have met 38 times so far, with Spain winning 18 times, drawing 7, and losing 13. This includes seven victories in their last 10 encounters (one draw and two losses), including two wins in their last two meetings at the Euro 2024 semi-finals (2-1) and the 2025 Nations League final (5-4).

France has scored 16 goals in the current edition, 11 of which came after halftime, and boasts the best shots-on-target-per-match average in the tournament (7.8). In contrast, Spain has averaged 7.33 corners per match in the 2026 World Cup.

France relies heavily on the voracious appetite of their top scorer and captain Mbappé, who has 8 goals in this edition, sharing the top scorer list with Argentina’s star and captain Lionel Messi, who could set up a new rendezvous with the "Blues" if both reach the final, where the defending champions face England tomorrow, Wednesday, in Atlanta. Mbappé leads a fiery French attack featuring Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembélé, who has 5 goals so far, alongside his Parisian teammates Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, and talented Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.

On the other side, great hopes rest on Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who has not yet shone in the 2026 World Cup but has scored 3 goals in two matches against France, and hopes to add more in Arlington.

France remains cautious regarding Mbappé’s condition after he was substituted with an ankle injury in the quarter-final against Morocco, but the coaching staff expects to rely on their star player.