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France and Spain will face off in the first semifinal of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, July 14 at 19:00 UTC (15:00 Cuba time), at the , in a matchup between two of the tournament's most powerful teams.
The match was sealed this Friday when Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with goals from Fabián Ruiz in the first half and Mikel Merino in the 87th minute.
France had already secured its spot on Thursday by defeating Morocco 2-0, with goals from Kylian Mbappé (min. 60) and Ousmane Dembélé (min. 66).
France arrives as the highest-scoring team of the tournament. They finished first in Group I with 9 points, 10 goals scored, and only two conceded (a goal difference of +8), after defeating Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), and Norway (4-1). In the knockout stage, they eliminated Sweden (3-0), Paraguay (1-0), and Morocco (2-0).
Mbappé has scored eight goals in the tournament, matching Lionel Messi on the scoring chart, according to reports following the match against Morocco.
Spain topped Group H with 7 points, five goals scored and none conceded (goal difference of +5), after drawing with Cape Verde (0-0), thrashing Saudi Arabia (4-0), and defeating Uruguay (1-0). In the knockout stage, they overcame Austria (3-0), Portugal (1-0) with a goal from Merino in the 90th minute, and this Friday, Belgium.
Merino has become the decisive man in the Spanish knockout phase, scoring key goals against Portugal and Belgium. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are the offensive leaders of a generation that arrives at the tournament as the reigning European champions.
The recent history adds weight to the rivalry: Spain defeated France 2-1 in the semifinal of Euro 2024 and 5-4 in the semifinal of the UEFA Nations League in June 2025, in the match with the most goals in the history of that competition. In the official overall record, Spain has accumulated 17 victories compared to 13 for France in 37 matches.
The AT&T Stadium, hosting the most matches of the 2026 World Cup (nine in total), has a capacity of 70,649 spectators. The winner of this match will advance to the final of the tournament; the second semifinal will be held on July 15 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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