Dallas Duel: France and Spain battle for a place in history

correspondent | Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:22

Les Bleus blew away

Morocco to secure their passage into the final four, as Kylian Mbappe continues to terrorise

defences across North America, while La Roja again struck late in the game to overcome Belgium

and reach the semis for the first time since winning the tournament in 2010. Here’s the break down

as France and Spain battle for a spot in Sunday night’s final.

Head-to-head

Matches played 38

France wins 13

Spain wins 18

Draws 7

France goals 44

Spain goals 71

France and Spain have met in 38 previous matches, with La Roja claiming 18 wins compared to 13

for Les Bleus, while seven games have been drawn. They have met once before in the World Cup,

with France winning 3-1 in a Round of 16 clash in 2006. The teams’ most recent meeting was an

absolute thriller, with Spain winning 5-4 in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League in Stuttgart

in June 2025.

Players to watch

France – Kylian Mbappe

Tournament stats

- Appearances: 6

- Goals: 8

- Assists: 3

- Yellow/red cards: 0/0

Eleven goal involvements (8 goals, 3 assists) underlines Kylian Mbappe’s attacking genius at this

World Cup. He took a knock to the ankle against Morocco in the Quarterfinals, but he is expected

to be fit and firing for this clash with Spain.

Spain – Mikel Merino

Tournament stats

- Appearances: 6

- Goals: 2

- Assists: 0

- Yellow/red cards: 0/0

After scoring the winning goals in both the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals against Portugal and

Belgium respectively – and both late on – Mikel Merino has established a reputation as a player

who can deliver in the crucial moments. Will it be three in a row when he comes up against

France?

Key stats

- 3.3 – Kylian Mbappe averages 3.3 shots on target per 90 minutes at the World Cup, and he’s

found the back of the net 8 times already.

- 100.1 – Rodri averages just over 100 accurate passes per 90 minutes – a mark bettered only by

Argentina’s Leandro Paredes at this tournament.

- 3 – France (2) and Spain (1) have conceded a combined 3 goals at the tournament, making them

the two best defences so far.

- 66 – 14.3 – Spain have enjoyed the highest average possession (66%), while France have the

most expected goals (14.3).

Tactical battle

The semifinal in Dallas pits two contrasting ideologies: pragmatism against control. Didier

Deschamps has built France into a compact, transition-focused machine, happy to absorb

pressure before releasing their devastating front line at speed. His recent tweaks (stacking

attacking talent centrally) have maximised vertical threat and efficiency in big moments.

By contrast, Luis de la Fuente demands territorial dominance. Spain press aggressively,

monopolise possession and suffocate opponents through structure and counterpressing. The key

battle lies in midfield control versus transition defence: if Spain dictate tempo, they control the

game; if France break the press, they can decide it in seconds.

Broadcast details

Times CAT

Tuesday 14 July

21:00: Semifinal 1 – France v Spain – LIVE on SuperSport World Cup Central