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France face Spain in the first Semifinal of FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas, with kickoff at 3:00 PM ET. France arrive perfect through six matches after beating Morocco in the quarterfinal, while Spain reached their second-ever World Cup semifinal with a 2-1 win over Belgium, and the winner advances to Sunday’s Final.
It’s the pre-tournament favorites colliding a round early, with Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal renewing their Clasico rivalry on the sport’s biggest stage.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date & Time | Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT |
| Venue | Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, TX |
| Capacity | Approx. 70,649 |
| Stadium Conditions | Retractable roof, climate-controlled, natural grass |
| Broadcasting | FOX and Telemundo/Universo (USA) |
| Knockout Stakes | Winner advances to the World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19 |

Credit: Al Jazeera
Both teams arrive unbeaten, but their paths through the group stage looked very different.
France opened with a 3-1 win over Senegal, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and Bradley Barcola adding a third before Ibrahim Mbaye grabbed a late consolation for Senegal. France controlled large stretches of the game and have not lost a match since, going a perfect 6-0-0 through the quarterfinals while outscoring opponents 16-2.
Spain’s tournament began with a shocking 0-0 draw against debutants Cape Verde, despite dominating with 74% possession and 27 shots. Spain have not lost since, winning five straight, and their defense went six consecutive matches without conceding, the longest clean-sheet streak in World Cup history, before finally being breached in the 2-1 win over Belgium.
| Metric | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Avg. Possession (Tournament) | ~54% | ~62% |
| Shots on Target (Tournament) | 8.1 per game | 7.5 per game |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.6 per game | 2.1 per game |
| First Match Result | 3-1 win vs. Senegal | 0-0 draw vs. Cape Verde |
| Goals Conceded (Tournament) | 2 | 1 |
| Tournament Debut Status | 17th appearance | 12th appearance |
| World Cup Win Probability | Around 32% | Around 22% |
Explanation: France have been the most ruthless attacking side left in the competition, outscoring opponents 16-2 across six matches. Spain lean on suffocating possession and a defense that only conceded for the first time in the quarterfinal, making this a genuine clash of styles rather than a mismatch.
Neither side has tasted defeat since the tournament began, and both arrive on serious momentum.
France are a perfect 6W-0D-0L at this World Cup and have won nine of their last ten matches in all competitions. FanDuel currently lists France around +130 on the three-way moneyline, with DraftKings close behind. Didier Deschamps has built his attack around Mbappe, Dembele, Olise, and Doue, though Kone and Tchouameni are both carrying knocks heading into Tuesday.
Spain are unbeaten in 37 straight competitive matches dating back to March 2023 and have gone 7W-3D-0L over their last ten internationals. FanDuel prices Spain around +230 on the moneyline, with +120 to advance in extra time or penalties. The tactical concern is losing wide options Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino to injury, both unavailable since the group stage.
France and Spain have met 38 times overall, with Spain holding the historical edge at 18 wins, 13 losses, and 7 draws, and Spain has won seven of the last ten meetings, including a thrilling 5-4 win in last year’s Nations League semifinal. At the World Cup specifically, the sides have met just once, a 3-1 France win in the 2006 Round of 16.
| Player | Team | Role | Key Insight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | France | Captain/striker | Tournament-leading eight goals and closing in on the all-time World Cup scoring record |
| Michael Olise | France | Winger | Tournament-high six assists, one shy of Pele’s single-edition record |
| Ousmane Dembele | France | Forward | Part of a front line that has scored 16 goals across six matches |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | Striker | Spain’s leading scorer, netting late winners in back-to-back knockout rounds |
| Lamine Yamal | Spain | Winger | Quiet by his standards with one goal, but the key duel against Mbappe |
| Unai Simon | Spain | Goalkeeper | Set a World Cup record with six consecutive clean sheets before Belgium |
Olise’s service from the right has been the engine of France’s attack, and his six assists make him just as important to stopping as Mbappe himself.
Spain will lean on their control game, trying to starve France of the ball through Rodri and Pedri while using Yamal and Oyarzabal to probe for the kind of late breakthrough that beat Portugal and Belgium. The absence of Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino reduces Spain’s width, which could make it harder to stretch a well-organized French defense.
The key tactical battle is whether Spain can control tempo the way they did against Belgium, or whether France’s pace in transition punishes any lapse in Spain’s high line, much like Cape Verde and Belgium each found space against them.
Market pricing, France around +130 on the 90-minute moneyline and -150 to -155 to advance, points to France as a moderate favorite in a genuinely close contest. Opta’s supercomputer gives France a 42.1% chance to win in regulation against Spain’s 31.8%, with the model favoring a tight France win or a match that goes to extra time.
| Sportsbook | France (ML) | Draw | Spain (ML) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | +125 | +215 | +240 |
| FanDuel | +130 | +210 | +230 |
| Betsson* | +128 | +212 | +235 |
| 1xbet* | +120 | +205 | +225 |
| 22bet* | +122 | +208 | +228 |
Odds for international books marked with an asterisk are indicative, consolidated estimates rather than live quotes. Always confirm the current line directly on the sportsbook before wagering.
Explanation: Every major book has this priced as a near pick’em on the 90-minute line, with France a modest favorite in the +120 to +130 range and Spain sitting close behind at +225 to +240. That tight spread reflects genuine uncertainty in what many are calling a final before the final.
| Market | Line/Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 2.5 Goals | Around -112 |
| Under 2.5 Goals | Around -110 |
| Over 3.5 Goals | Around +210 |
| Both Teams to Score – Yes | Around -125 |
| Both Teams to Score – No | Around +100 |
Explanation: The Over 2.5 line is priced almost dead even, backed by three straight meetings between these sides going over that total, including last year’s 9-goal Nations League thriller. Both Teams to Score Yes is favored given France’s attacking depth against a Spain defense that has now been breached once.
| Market | Line/Odds |
|---|---|
| France -0.5 Goal Handicap | Around +105 |
| France -1.5 Asian Handicap | Around +260 |
| Spain +0.5 Asian Handicap | Around -130 |
Explanation: The near-even France -0.5 line shows the market does not see this as a comfortable French win, with Spain’s Asian Handicap price reflecting real respect for their unbeaten run and knack for late goals.
| Player | Team | Anytime Goalscorer Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | France | Around +115 |
| Ousmane Dembele | France | Around +270 |
| Michael Olise | France | Around +310 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | Around +200 |
| Lamine Yamal | Spain | Around +250 |
Explanation: Mbappe sits at the top of the goalscorer market by a clear margin given his tournament-leading eight goals, while Oyarzabal’s price reflects his habit of delivering in the biggest moments of Spain’s knockout run.
Multiple handicappers, including SportsLine’s Martin Green, are leaning toward the Over on total goals, noting that Spain average nearly two goals per game and have enough quality to unlock France’s defense. The consensus points to a tight, high-scoring France win in the 3-2 to 2-1 range, rather than a repeat of Spain’s low-scoring knockout wins over Portugal and Belgium.
Match Prediction: France 3-2 Spain
France’s attacking depth through Mbappe, Dembele, Olise, and Doue should be enough to edge a Spain side that has relied on late goals and a now-broken clean-sheet streak. Expect Mbappe to add to his tournament-leading tally in what should be a genuinely open, high-scoring semifinal.
The betting value leans toward France on the moneyline paired with the Over 2.5 total, since both teams’ recent head-to-head meetings have consistently produced goals at both ends. Spain’s resilience and history of late winners keep the handicap and Both Teams to Score markets very much alive even if France ultimately advance.
For France, victory would book a third straight World Cup Final appearance and keep Mbappe’s chase of football’s all-time scoring record on track. For Spain, defeat would end an unbeaten 37-match run just one step short of a return to the Final they last reached in 2010.
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