France vs. Spain: A "Heavy Clash"
Morristown (AFP) – France, the 1998 and 2018 World Cup champions, will face Spain, winners in 2010, in a heavyweight European clash on Tuesday evening in Dallas, Texas, in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
France has enjoyed an almost perfect run in this tournament, collecting 9 points from a possible 9 in Group 9, before advancing through three knockout rounds without conceding a 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, winning 2-0, despite their star, captain, and top scorer Kylian Mbappe 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, a feat surpassed only by Germany (12 times).
Today also marks a new record for Deschamps, who has managed the most matches in World Cup history (26).
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 milestone, and gives 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 European champions, drew unexpectedly 0-0 with Cape Verde in their Group 8 opener, but regained their composure to top the group with 7 points (two wins and a draw), and have continued to improve their performance since then.
Before this summer, La Roja had not won any 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. Arsenal striker Mikel Merino, as a substitute, scored two decisive late goals in the last two matches.
After 2010, this is only the second time Spain has reached the World Cup semi-finals, though there is a positive indicator: they have qualified for the semi-finals in 6 of their last 7 major tournament appearances.
Furthermore, their coach Luis de la Fuente boasts the longest unbeaten streak in both the World Cup and the European Championship (12 wins and 1 draw). His team enters this match 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, France 13, and 7 draws. This includes seven victories for the European champions in their last 10 meetings (one draw and two losses), including two wins in their last two major tournament encounters: a 2-1 victory in the Euro 2024 semi-final and a 5-4 win in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final.
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 current World Cup.
France relies on the open appetite of their top scorer and captain Mbappe, who has 8 goals in this edition, sharing the top of the scoring charts with Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Messi could set a new date with Les Bleus if both reach the final, where the defending champions will face England on Wednesday in Atlanta.
Mbappe leads a fiery attacking line alongside Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele, who has scored five goals so far, his Parisian teammates Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, and Bayern Munich’s talented German winger Michael Olise.
On the other side, great hopes rest on Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who has yet to shine at the 2026 World Cup but has scored three goals in two previous matches against France, and who hopes to add more in Arlington.
France is exercising caution regarding Mbappe’s condition after he was injured in the ankle during the quarter-final against Morocco, but the coaching staff expects to rely on their star player.
Paris, AFP – The 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final between France and Spain, scheduled for tomorrow Tuesday, will begin with a minute’s silence in honor of the victims of the Nice attack on July 14, 2016, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the X platform on Monday.
Macron wrote, “Before France-Spain, there will be a minute’s silence in honor of the victims of the Nice attack, ten years after July 14, 2016. Thanks to the FIFA president for responding to France’s request and that of all French people who expressed their solidarity. We will never forget.”
Nice Mayor Eric Ciotti also announced, “I was just informed by the president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, that FIFA has agreed to hold a minute’s silence before the start of the World Cup semi-final between France and Spain,” adding that he warmly thanks FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Ciotti had appealed to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the governing body of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, on Friday to observe a minute’s silence before the scheduled kickoff at 21:00 French time.
The truck attack carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel on July 14, 2016, on the Promenade des Anglais resulted in the deaths of 86 people and injured more than 400 others.
