Spain vs France clash for a spot in the World Cup final

France, the 1998 and 2018 World Cup champions, will face Spain, winners in 2010, in a heavyweight European clash tomorrow, Tuesday, in Dallas, Texas, in the semi-finals of the North American World Cup.

France has enjoyed an almost perfect run in this tournament, securing nine points from nine possible 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 in the quarter-finals against Morocco with a 2-0 victory, 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. France reaches the final four for the eighth time, surpassed only by Germany (12 times). This match also sets a new record for Deschamps, who has now managed 26 World Cup matches.

Reaching the final for the third consecutive time in the world’s biggest football competition will place France among a select group of just three nations (alongside Brazil and Germany) to achieve this feat, and offers them a chance to avenge the disappointment of four years ago, when a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in Qatar prevented them from retaining their title.

Spain, the current European champions, surprisingly drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their Group 8 opener, but regained their composure to top the group with seven points (two wins and a draw), continuing their upward trajectory in performance.

Before this summer, La Roja had not won any knockout match at the World Cup since their 2010 triumph in South Africa. 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 win over Belgium. Substitute Arsenal striker Mikel Merino stood out, scoring decisive late goals in both of those final two matches.

Only the second time since 2010 that Spain has reached the World Cup semi-finals, this campaign features a positive indicator: qualification for the semi-finals in six of their last seven major tournament appearances.

Furthermore, their manager Luis de la Fuente boasts the longest unbeaten streak in both the World Cup and the European Championship (12 wins and one draw). Spain enters this encounter with confidence, having not suffered a loss in regular time since March 2024 (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 seven, 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 European Championship 2024 semi-finals (2-1) and the 2025 UEFA 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 average per match in the tournament (7.8). In contrast, Spain has averaged 7.33 corners per match during the 2026 World Cup.

France is pinning its hopes on the insatiable appetite of its striker Kylian Mbappé, who has scored eight goals in the current tournament, sharing the top of the scoring charts with Argentina’s Lionel Messi. The two could face off against Les Bleus if both reach the final, where the defending champions will meet England on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Mbappé leads a fiery attacking line for Les Bleus, alongside Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembélé, who has netted five goals so far, as well as his Parisian teammates Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, and the talented German Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.

On the other side, Spain places great hopes on Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who has yet to shine at the 2026 World Cup but has scored three goals in two matches against France and aims to add more in Arlington. France remains cautious about 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.