
The eyes of the football world will be turned this evening to Dallas, where France and Spain will lock horns in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
A duel between two superpowers of European football, which promises spectacle, emotions and a battle between the biggest stars of the moment.
On one side Kylian Mbappe, the leader of "Les Bleus", and on the other the phenomenon Lamine Yamal, ready to lead "La Roja" to another final.
At stake is a ticket to the final on July 19, where the winner will face either England or Argentina. The “Roosters” arrive in this challenge after eliminating Morocco in the quarterfinals, while “La Roja” beat Belgium with a score of 2-1.
The two national teams return to face each other two years after the Euro 2024 semi-final, won by Spain, which then also lifted the European trophy.
The spotlight will once again be on the clash between two world football stars, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, who are expected to be the main protagonists of the match.
Spain have won their last two meetings with France. On June 5, 2025, Luis de la Fuentes' team triumphed 5-4 in the Nations League semi-final, in a spectacular match in which Yamal scored two goals, while Mbappe scored one.
At Euro 2024, the Iberians won 2-1 in the semi-finals before being crowned European champions. However, this time France are coming in with impressive form.
Didier Deschamps' team has not conceded a single goal in the knockout stage and has successfully overcome obstacles such as Norway, Sweden and Morocco, confirming its status as one of the main favorites for the trophy.
On the other hand, Spain was forced to fight until the last minutes to eliminate Portugal and Belgium, with Mikel Merino proving decisive in both challenges.
In terms of formations, Deschamps is expected to bring Tshuameni back into midfield alongside Rabiot in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while behind Mbappe will be Dembele, Olise and Dué.
Luis de la Fuente is not expected to make any changes to the formation that secured qualification, with Fabian Ruiz retaining his starting spot, while Merino is expected to start from the bench again. The match will kick off at 21:00 and will be refereed by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton.