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France vs Spain Preview: FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinal
France and Spain go head-to-head on the international stage, a year after they faced each other in the Nations League semi-final in 2025. This will be the 6th time Kylian Mbappe faces Lamine Yamal in a knockout fixture across club and country, with the Spaniard having a 100% record against his French counterpart. Would the Frenchman and his team turn the tide around this time? Stay tuned to watch the first semi-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup!
Key Details: France vs Spain
Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET | 8:00 PM BST | 9:00 PM CET
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Dallas, Texas
What is at stake: A place in the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium on July 19
Spain vs France: route to FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals
Spain national football team journey so far
Spain started their group stage journey with a draw against Cape Verde, a game that got their opponents huge praise, while everyone questioned De La Fuente’s team and their credibility coming into the tournament.
Their next game was against Saudi Arabia, the team that had the only win against Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and they absolutely dismantled the Asian side, handing them a 4-0 loss. Their 3rd and final fixture in the group stage was a comfortable 1-0 victory against Uruguay.
In the knockouts, Spain defeated Austria 3-0, and then knocked Cristiano’s Portugal out in the Round of 16, thanks to Mikel Merino’s header in the dying seconds of the game. They didn’t concede a single goal until the quarter-finals when they faced Belgium, and got a 2-1 victory over the Red Devils.
France national football team journey so far
Les Blues came into the tournament as the favorites to play the final, and even win the competition for the third time in 8 years, and they are one game away from achieving that feat. They were absolutely rampant in the group stage, winning all three of their fixtures against Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), and Norway (4-1).
Then came the knockouts. France knocked out Sweden (3-0) in the round of 32 and then got a heavy victory against Paraguay (1-0) in the round of 16, not heavy on the scoreline, but for the magnitude of the game. Their last game in the knockout stage was against Morocco, a repeat of their 2022 semi-final, with the same scoreline as they shared last time in Qatar.
Key battles to watch out for
Mbappe vs Yamal: The Sixth Meeting
Mbappe, 1x World Champion and 2x World Cup finalist, has never bettered the Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal in a knockout stage fixture in his career. The two of them have met each other on 5 previous occasions, as such, on both club and country level, with Yamal having the better of the Frenchman.
However, this will be the first meeting between the two in a World Cup tie, which makes it interesting to see if Mbappe will break the head-to-head deadlock against Lamine tonight.
The Pedri Decision
This is the most interesting selection question De la Fuente faces today. Ruiz delivered against Belgium. Pedri is the player Spain’s entire system was built around entering the tournament. Starting Ruiz again means stability and recent form. De la Fuente’s selection will tell you a great deal about how Spain plan to approach the match.
Olise vs Cubarsi
Unstoppable force meets immovable object. Olise has been the best creator in this tournament so far, with 5 assists to his name; Cubarsi has been the standout defender of the tournament, with 5 clean sheets to his name so far. Who will come out on top? This battle is one to look out for!
Predicted Lineups
France (4-2-3-1)
GK: Mike Maignan
DEF: Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne
MID: Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni
ATT: Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue
ST: Kylian Mbappe
Manager: Didier Deschamps
Spain (4-3-3)
GK: Unai Simon
DEF: Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella
MID: Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo
FWD: Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Alex Baena
Manager: Luis de la Fuente
Head-to-Head: France vs Spain
| Total meetings | 38 |
| France wins | 18 |
| Spain wins | 13 |
| Draws | 7 |
Where to Watch France vs Spain: Complete Guide
- USA → FOX / FOX One / Fubo / Telemundo → Paid
- UK → BBC One / BBC iPlayer / ITVX → Free
- Australia → SBS / SBS On Demand → Free
- France → TF1 / beIN Sports → Free (TF1) / Paid
- Spain → La 1 / DAZN → Free (La 1) / Paid
- Middle East → beIN Sports / TOD → Paid
- Worldwide → CazéTV (YouTube) → Free, no VPN needed
France’s national broadcaster TF1 and Spain’s La 1 both carry this match free for domestic audiences.
For everyone outside those countries, BBC iPlayer and ITVX in the UK and SBS On Demand in Australia are the strongest free English-language options. However, all three are geo-restricted to their home country.
How to Watch France vs Spain with FastestVPN
FastestVPN gets you in from anywhere. Here’s what you need to do:
- Download the FastestVPN app on your device
- Connect to a server of your choice (UK, USA, Australia, others), depending on your regional OTT platform
- Open the streaming app and watch
FAQs: France vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026
When does France vs Spain kick off?
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET. That is 8:00 PM BST for UK viewers and 9:00 PM for viewers in France and Spain.
Where is the France vs Spain World Cup semifinal being played?
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, designated as Dallas Stadium by FIFA.
Have France and Spain met at a World Cup before?
Not at the semifinal stage. They met in the 2006 group stage, which France won 3-1, and in various qualification and friendly matches. This is their first World Cup knockout meeting.
Who goes through to the final?
The winner faces the winner of England vs Argentina in the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
A final before the final
There is a version of this World Cup where France and Spain meet in the final, the one that the supercomputer predicted long before the tournament began. However, the bracket had other ideas. They meet today in Dallas instead, with one of them ending their tournament here and the other boarding a flight to New Jersey for Sunday.
This will be the first time both nations will meet in a World Cup semi-final. In the other semi-final, England will be taking on Argentina, an opponent Leo Messi will finally be facing after more than 1000 matches played in his playing career. Both of these semi-finals are huge in terms of their history, and what can go in terms of heading to the final. Could we be watching a repeat of the 2022 final from Qatar?
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