{"id":45048,"date":"2026-07-13T14:27:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fastestvpn.com\/blogs\/?p=45048"},"modified":"2026-07-15T12:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:34:09","slug":"france-vs-spain-fifa-world-cup-2026-semi-final-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fastestvpn.com\/blogs\/france-vs-spain-fifa-world-cup-2026-semi-final-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"France vs Spain Preview: FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinal","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

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!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Key Details: France vs Spain<\/b><\/h2>\n

Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET | 8:00 PM BST | 9:00 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Dallas, Texas<\/span><\/p>\n

What is at stake: A place in the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium on July 19<\/span><\/p>\n

Spain vs France: route to FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals<\/b><\/h2>\n

Spain national football team journey so far<\/b><\/h3>\n

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\u2019s team and their credibility coming into the tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the knockouts, Spain defeated Austria 3-0, and then knocked Cristiano\u2019s Portugal out in the Round of 16, thanks to Mikel Merino\u2019s header in the dying seconds of the game. They didn\u2019t concede a single goal until the quarter-finals when they faced Belgium, and got a 2-1 victory over the Red Devils.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

France national football team journey so far<\/b><\/h3>\n

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).<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key battles to watch out for<\/b><\/h2>\n

Mbappe vs Yamal: The Sixth Meeting<\/b><\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pedri Decision<\/b><\/h3>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Olise vs Cubarsi<\/b><\/h3>\n

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!<\/span><\/p>\n

Predicted Lineups<\/b><\/h2>\n

France (4-2-3-1)<\/b><\/h3>\n

GK: Mike Maignan<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0DEF: Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0MID: Adrien Rabiot, Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0ATT: Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0ST: Kylian Mbappe<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Manager: Didier Deschamps<\/span><\/p>\n

Spain (4-3-3)<\/b><\/h3>\n

GK: Unai Simon<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0DEF: Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0MID: Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0FWD: Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Alex Baena<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Manager: Luis de la Fuente<\/span><\/p>\n

Head-to-Head: France vs Spain<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Total meetings<\/b><\/td>\n38<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
France wins<\/b><\/td>\n18<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spain wins<\/b><\/td>\n13<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Draws\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n7<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Where to Watch France vs Spain: Complete Guide<\/b><\/h2>\n