Spain vs France FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal: Head-to-head record, predicted lineups, key players

Spain and France will square off in one of the most anticipated matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 when they meet in the first semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, July 14. With a place in Sunday's final against either England or Argentina on the line, the clash brings together two European football powerhouses boasting world-class talent, formidable defenses and rich tournament pedigree.

Spain, ranked second in the FIFA rankings and reigning European champions, reached the semifinals after edging Belgium 2-1 in a closely fought quarterfinal. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring before Charles De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium. Super-sub Mikel Merino then struck the winner late in the game to send La Roja into the last four.

France, ranked third in the world, secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarterfinals. Kylian Mbappé recovered from an earlier penalty miss to score his eighth goal of the tournament, while Ousmane Dembélé added the second as Les Bleus continued their impressive march toward a third successive World Cup final.

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Spain vs France head-to-head record

The two nations have met 38 times across all competitions. Spain hold the edge overall, although France have enjoyed success in some of the biggest knockout matches.

Record	Spain	France
Matches played	38	38
Wins	18	13
Draws	7	7

Spain vs France at the FIFA World Cup

Tuesday's encounter will be only the second World Cup meeting between the sides. Their previous clash came in the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Spain took an early lead through David Villa's penalty before France mounted a comeback. Franck Ribéry equalised after rounding goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Patrick Vieira headed France in front, and Zinedine Zidane sealed a memorable 3-1 victory in stoppage time.

Last five meetings

Date	Competition	Result
June 5, 2025	UEFA Nations League SF	Spain 5-4 France
July 9, 2024	UEFA Euro SF	Spain 2-1 France
Oct. 10, 2021	UEFA Nations League Final	France 2-1 Spain
March 26, 2013	FIFA World Cup Qualifier	France 0-1 Spain
Oct. 16, 2012	FIFA World Cup Qualifier	Spain 1-1 France

The most recent meeting was a nine-goal thriller in the 2025 UEFA Nations League semifinal. Spain raced into a 5-1 lead before France staged a remarkable comeback, eventually falling just short in a 5-4 defeat.

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Predicted lineups

Spain (4-3-3)	France (4-2-3-1)
Unai Simón	Mike Maignan
Dani Carvajal	Jules Koundé
Robin Le Normand	Dayot Upamecano
Aymeric Laporte	William Saliba
Marc Cucurella	Lucas Digne
Rodri	Aurélien Tchouaméni*
Fabián Ruiz	Adrien Rabiot
Pedri	Michael Olise
Lamine Yamal	Ousmane Dembélé
Nico Williams	Désiré Doué
Álvaro Morata	Kylian Mbappé

*Subject to fitness after recovering from a muscle injury.

Key players to watch

Spain	France
Lamine Yamal	Kylian Mbappé
Rodri	Ousmane Dembélé
Fabián Ruiz	William Saliba
Nico Williams	Aurélien Tchouaméni

Mbappé enters the semifinal in sensational form with eight goals, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. For Spain, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has continued to impress with his creativity, while Rodri and Fabián Ruiz have controlled the midfield throughout the tournament.

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Defensively, there is little to separate the two sides. Spain have conceded just one goal in six matches, while France have let in only two and have recorded clean sheets in each of their three knockout fixtures.

With attacking stars on both sides and two of the tournament's best defensive units going head-to-head, the semifinal promises to be a tactical and technical battle. Spain will be aiming to continue their recent dominance over France, while Didier Deschamps' side will look to draw on their experience of reaching the last two World Cup finals as they seek another shot at football's biggest prize.