France's Kylian Mbappe, left, and Spain's Lamine Yamal will face-off in the first World Cup 2026 semifinal [Franck Fife and Etienne Laurent/AFP]By Manasi PathakPublished On 12 Jul 202612 Jul 2026
The first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 features Spain and France, the two highest ranked sides in Europe and one of the most heated rivalries in world football.
The battle between the pre-tournament favourites is for many fans the most anticipated fixture of the monthlong World Cup, which has delivered drama both on and off the field.
Tuesday’s clash in Dallas is extra special with two of football’s most prodigious talents sharing the field: Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
Mbappe and Yamal have faced each other several times in La Liga’s El Clasico, the famous derby between rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. But this time, the stage is much bigger and so is the prize with the winner fulfilling every footballer’s dream of playing in a World Cup final.
As of Sunday, Opta’s supercomputer gives France a 42.1 percent probability of winning in regulation time, while Spain’s chances of winning are 31.8 percent.
The model estimates a 26.1 percent probability of the game going to extra time.
The first semifinal will be held at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which has a capacity of 70,649 for this tournament.
It is the last of the nine match days at the venue – the most at this year’s World Cup, which is being held in 16 cities.
France and Spain are familiar foes and have faced each other on 38 occasions.
Spain holds the upper hand in their head-to-head record with 18 victories. France has won 13 times, while seven matches ended in a draw.
Their last meeting was just more than a year ago, at the 2025 UEFA Nations League semifinals, when Spain defeated France 5-4 in an exhilarating contest, with Yamal’s brace sending them through.
France and Spain have faced each other just once at the FIFA World Cup.
It dates back to the 2006 edition, in which France defeated Spain 3-1 in a last-16 contest thanks to goals from Franck Ribery, Patrick Vieira and the iconic Zinedine Zidane.
Two of European football’s lethal forces, France and Spain, have met five times at the European Championships. Both have won two matches each, while one ended in a draw.
Their last UEFA Euro meeting was in 2024, when Spain beat France 2-1 in the semifinals, with Yamal and Dani Olmo scoring for the victors.
Mbappe, by far, is France’s most lethal scoring weapon at the tournament, boasting eight goals and three assists to lead the race for the Golden Boot.
Ousmane Dembele (five goals) and Michael Olise (five assists) have also been dynamic in attack.
Underrated Real Sociedad Striker Mikel Oyarzabal, with four goals, has been Spain’s leading scorer at the tournament.
Mikel Moreno (two goals) and Marc Cucurella (two assists) have also been influential, while Yamal is slowly finding his feet, having registered one goal so far.
France’s strength lies in their highly potent and enviable attack featuring the trio of Bradley Barcola, Dembele and Olise, and spearheaded by their main striker, Mbappe.
In the group stage, France showed some defensive weaknesses – conceding against Senegal and Norway – but they have kept clean sheets in all three knockout games since.
For all their glittering attacking assets, it is their robust defence that is Spain’s strength. Spain have conceded just one goal in five matches, and that was against Belgium in the quarterfinals.
In attack, the team has appeared – for stretches – sluggish and uncreative and has yet to hit top gear.
They needed late goals from substitute Merino to win both of their last two knockout contests, while their usual hero, Yamal, who came into the World Cup on the back of an injury, has yet to show his full potential – one that led Spain to their Euro 2024 success.
If a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time of two periods of 15 minutes each will be played. If still tied, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout.
