FIFA’s top four seeds remain, and a blockbuster set of World Cup semifinals begins in Dallas as European behemoths France and Spain collide.
The two pre-tournament favorites have delivered on their expectations this summer, with France purring from the get-go and Spain easing its way into the tournament in style.
La Roja’s capacity to keep its opponents at arm’s length via technical mastery in possession and telepathy without the ball means the team has conceded just one goal in North America, but its stellar defense will be put to the ultimate test by France’s Harlem Globetrotters-like attack.
Les Bleus are gunning to reach their third World Cup final in succession, having triumphed in 2018 and been involved the greatest final in the tournament‘s history last time out. Many suspect a France vs. Argentina rematch may be on the cards in New Jersey, but writing off the European champions here would be foolish.
Spain has beaten France in its previous two meetings, including a 2–1 victory in the semifinals of Euro 2024. La Roja’s triumph over a sluggish and uninspired Bleus outfit had seemingly represented a changing of the guard in European soccer, but France, two years on, is out to reassert itself as the continent‘s top dog once more.
Deschamps’s side ominously beat Morocco 2–0 in the quarterfinals without ever escaping second gear. Spain, meanwhile, was pegged back by Belgium before the inevitable Mikel Merino seized on a Senne Lammens error to thrust La Roja into the last four.
France vs. Spain Score Prediction
Les Bleus‘ Firepower Sinks Spain
Deschamps has cut loose on his farewell tour, but you wonder whether we’ll see a more vintage iteration of a Deschamps-led France team against stellar opposition.
Spain controls contests like no other. It is perhaps not the most enthralling of watches with Lamine Yamal still trying to discover his best and Nico Williams only just recovering from injury, yet the cohesiveness with which it performs in all phases is remarkable.
However, this French outfit can sap control away in an instant. It can draw teams into a false sense of security and produce something out of the ordinary. It’s an Apollonian vs. Dionysian affair, with France’s glut of superstars poised to disrupt the law and order imposed by the Spanish.
- Spain’s semifinal inexperience: Remarkably, this is only Spain’s second World Cup semifinal appearance. The Euro 2024 winner last reached this stage of the competition when it went on to lift the trophy for the first and only time in 2010. In contrast, France has notched the second most semifinal appearances (eight) in the competition’s storied history.
- France’s momentum: After a slow start, Spain has found a groove, but France has been close to scintillating since the second-half of its opening group game commenced against Senegal. Only Argentina (17) has scored more goals than Les Bleus (16), and, unlike Spain, whose defensive record has been unrelentingly lauded, hasn’t conceded in the knockout stages. It’s now aiming to become the first European team since Italy in the 1930s to win seven consecutive World Cup matches.
Prediction: France 2–1 Spain
France Predicted Lineup vs. Spain
Golden Boot frontrunner Kylian Mbappé insisted he was “completely fine” after his late withdrawal from France’s quarterfinal victory with a suspected ankle injury.
However, France has genuine concerns in midfield, with Deschamps unsure as to who’ll partner Adrien Rabiot in the engine room on Tuesday.
Aurélien Tchouaméni has seemingly recovered from a thigh injury, given that he’s back in training, but Manu Koné performed superbly in his absence against Morocco. Koné, though, is dealing with a minor knee injury.
The expectation in France is that Deschamps will turn back to Tchouaméni, harshly benching Koné.
The rest of the team should be unchanged.
France predicted lineup vs. Spain (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Tchouaméni, Rabiot; Dembélé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé.
Spain Predicted Lineup vs. France
Luis de la Fuente added greater physicality to his midfield by introducing Fabián Ruiz alongside the imperious Rodri, benching Pedri. Fabián opened the scoring in the quarterfinal triumph over Belgium and will likely retain his place in the team here.
Mikel Merino should remain a threat as a ’finisher,’ having been Spain’s match-winner in its previous two knockout ties.
Nico Williams continues his return to full fitness after injury, meaning Álex Baena will start for La Roja down the left flank, but Lamine Yamal’s wing twin offers them an extra layer of unpredictability out wide.
A rock-solid defense will boast the same personnel, even if Spain was breached for the first time this summer by a smart Charles De Ketelaere header.
Pick Your World Cup Starting XIs!
What Time Does France vs. Spain Kick Off?
- Location : Arlington, Texas, United States
- Stadium : MT&T Stadium
- Date : Tuesday, July 14
- Kick-off Time : 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m BST
- Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
How to Watch France vs. Spain on TV, Live Stream
| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| United States | Fox Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Fox One |
| Canada | TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, Crave |
| Mexico | Canal 5 Televisam, TUDN, Azteca 7, TUDN En Vivo, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, ViX Mexico |
| United Kingdom | ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player |
