How have France not scored? Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon rushes out to try and clear a throughball towards Mbappe, but doesn't manage to head it away properly. Desire Doue has a golden chance with an open goal in front of him, but he ends up hitting it straight at Unai Simon, who was out of position. Poor effort.

82' FRA 0-2 ESP

Brilliant cross from the left wing, Ferran Torres beats the French defence in the air and slams a header goalwards, but it goes just wide. Nearly a third goal for Spain. Had it gone in, surely it would've been the nail in the coffin.

78' FRA 0-2 ESP

Spain striker Mikel Oyarzabal has been substituted to a huge applause from the Spanish fans at the Dallas Stadium. He has scored his fifth goal of FIFA World Cup 2026 today, joining David Villa and Emiliano Butragueno for the most goals in a single World Cup by a Spanish player!

End of the night for Michael Olise, France's genius creator. A fruitless night for Olise, almost certainly his worst game of FIFA World Cup 2026. The leading assister of the tournament may have played his final minutes, with time running out for France.

71' FRA 0-2 ESP

Kylian Mbappe takes a firm strike from the edge of the box, but Marc Cucurella gets a crucial touch to block the shot and send it out for a corner. Mbappe needs to pull off a miracle, like he did in the 2022 World Cup final, if France are to find a way back in this game.

66' FRA 0-2 ESP

SPAIN GOAL DISALLOWED! Yamal is sent through on goal with a brilliant pass, he maintains his composure with class and finishes it past Maignan, but the flag goes up! It was so, so close but the referee rules Yamal to be offside. Yamal raises his finger in denial, but the referee's decision stands.

62' FRA 0-2 ESP

GOOOAAAAAALLLLL! Pedro Porro scores for Spain, it's 2-0! Spain's right-back bombs forward, gets a lovely throughpass from Dani Olmo, and buries it past Mike Maignan! Second international goal for Porro, and both have come in the World Cup knockouts! 

France have a mountain to climb now.

58' FRA 0-2 ESP

Spain have become the first nation in FIFA World Cup history to start two teenagers in a semi-final, in the form of 19-year-olds Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, both of whom play for Barcelona at club level.

Spain are the first team to start a @FIFAWorldCup semi-final with two teenagers pic.twitter.com/rLnv5ACcrD

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 14, 2026

Spain have been on the attack a few times in the second half, while France are yet to string together a good chance. Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal are getting frequently involved in the attack.

52' FRA 0-1 ESP

We are back! The second half is underway in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final between France and Spain. France can make history with a victory today, but they need to put in a tremendous second 45 to overturn this deficit against the best defence of the World Cup.

46' FRA 0-1 ESP

HALF TIME! Spain lead by one at the break. Mikel Oyarzabal is the point of difference at the moment, striking a brilliant home a penalty, after it was won by Lamine Yamal. France started brightly, but tailed off. Lucas Digne committed a poor foul, while William Saliba went off injured moments later.

45 minutes more to go! Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates.

HT | FRA 0-1 ESP

Six minutes of stoppage time added on at the end of the first half. It has been an eventful 45 minutes, with chances at both ends, but Spain hold the lead thanks to their penalty goal. Can France find an equaliser in the first half?

45 1' FRA 0-1 ESP

Adrien Rabiot sends Kylian Mbappe through on goal, but Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon reads the danger and rushes out of his goalline to clear before Mbappe can reach it. Simon timed his run to perfection. It was risky, he had come a long way out of his own box, but he judged it brilliantly.

42' FRA 0-1 ESP

Absolutely wonderful tiki-taka from Spain. Rodri passes to Yamal, who finds Olmo, who sends Yamal through again, who cuts it back for Fabian to shoot in the box! Dayot Upamecano gets a last-ditch intervention to prevent what would've been one of the goals of the tournament.

38' FRA 0-1 ESP

Bradley Barcola cuts inside from the left wing and slams a powerful shot towards the Spain goal from outside the box. Unfortunately for him, the strike goes over the bar. Still, positive from France after a poor spell.

36' FRA 0-1 ESP

Major, major blow for France. Centre-back William Saliba is being forced to go off due to injury. Didier Deschamps opts for Maxence Lacroix to replace Saliba at the heart of France's defence. It looks worrying for Saliba; he could miss the final if France reach that far.

30' FRA 0-1 ESP

GOOOOAAAALLLLL! Spain lead in the semi-final! Mikel Oyarzabal scores with a superb spotkick, thumping it to the right corner. Mike Maignan gave it a good shot, but Oyarzabal's penalty was fantastic. France concede a goal for the first time in the knockout stages of this World Cup.

22' FRA 0-1 ESP

PENALTY for Spain! Lamine Yamal is caught by Lucas Digne in the box, and the referee points to the penalty spot! Digne tried to clear, Yamal was pressing and the defender ended up catching Yamal in his follow-through. No appeal by the France left-back. It will be Mikel Oyarzabal to take.

20' FRA 0-0 ESP

France break on the counter-attack, Ousmane Dembele swings in a diagonal pass from his own half to Kylian Mbappe on the opposite wing. Despite being in a 3v1 situation, Mbappe manages to keep the ball under control and dribble forward, before running out of space. Mbappe gives it back to Dembele, who sends it to Olise, but the latter scuffs his final shot.

16' FRA 0-0 ESP

Spain win a free-kick in a dangerous area as Adrien Rabiot commits a foul just outside the France box. It's a good angle for a left-footed player, but Lamine Yamal does not take it. Instead, it's the right-footed Alex Baena who shoots, but he hits it straight to the wall. A complete waste.

10' FRA 0-0 ESP

France come on the attack down the left wing. Mbappe creates space for Digne, who sends Bradley Barcola through on the left. Barcola skips past a challenge, then aims a cross inside, but it's blocked by Pau Cubarsi. 19-year-old Cubarsi has enjoyed a fantastic World Cup for Spain so far.

6' FRA 0-0 ESP

WE ARE LIVE! It's kickoff at the Dallas Stadium. France are in their classic blue jerseys, with white shorts. Spain are in their white away kits, with dark red shorts. Here we go!

1' FRA 0-0 ESP

We will observe a moment's silence ahead of the match in memory of the 10th anniversary of the Nice attacks in France in 2016. 

We are just about 10 minutes away from kickoff in the semi-final between France and Spain. Kylian Mbappe is leading France, Rodri is captaining Spain. The players are about to enter the turf at the Dallas Stadium. Time for the national anthems. Live action in a few moments, stay tuned!

France have a number of incredible options to bring off the bench as substitutes. Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki on the wings, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marcus Thuram as strikers, Manu Kone in central midfield, or Theo Hernandez at fullback: the depth is simply staggering.

Spain defeated Portugal in the Round of 16 and Belgium in the quarter-final, both by a one-goal margin. In both games, substitute Mikel Merino scored the winning goal late, just a few minutes after coming on. Merino has developed the knack for goals in recent years, and France's excellent defence will have to be wary of his threat.

This is the third major semi-final that France and Spain will face off in as many years. In 2024, Spain beat France 2-1 in the semi-final of Euro 2024. In 2025, Spain beat France 5-4 in the semi-final of the Nations League. Can France get their revenge on Spain on the biggest stage of all?

France attacking midfielder Michael Olise has been one of the best players of FIFA World Cup 2026, and he can achieve a big record today. If he gets one more assist, he will equal Brazil icon Pele for the most assists in a single World Cup edition (six). Pele achieved the feat in the 1970 edition. Two assists for Olise today, and he'll beat Pele's feat!Save

The match is being billed as a clash between France's lethal offense and Spain's brilliant defense. France are the second-highest scorers of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, with 16 goals in just six matches. Kylian Mbappe an Ousmane Dembele have eight and five goals respectively, while Michael Olise has five assists. 

Spain have conceded just one goal all tournament, breaking the record for the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in World Cup history! But the key to their defensive success is not only the backline, but also a midfield that wins the ball back very quickly.

Pedri's exclusion from the starting XI comes as a huge shock for Spain. PSG midfielder Fabian Ruiz gets the nod ahead of the Barcelona star for a second straight game. Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni is back in the mix for France. Also, Bradley Barcola takes his place in France's star-studded front four ahead of his PSG teammate Desire Doue.

Spain and France starting XI for the World Cup Semi Final! pic.twitter.com/TBifjhm9aV

— The Touchline | T (@TouchlineX) July 14, 2026

Mbappe has the chance to overtake Messi in the Golden Boot race if he scores against Spain. Mbappe and Messi have eight goals each so far, with the latter in action tomorrow against England in the second semi-final.

This will be the 11th meeting between Mbappe and Yamal, including club and international football. Yamal has won eight of those 10 games. Meanwhile, Spain have beaten France the most times over the last 20 years (7 wins in 10 matches).

France XI vs Spain: Here's the France starting XI announced by Didier Deschamps to take on Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final. Aurelien Tchouameni is back in the starting XI for France. He replaces Manu Kone after missing the previous game. There's also a start for Bradley Barcola at left wing.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Equipe de France de Football (@equipedefrance)

Spain XI vs France: Here's the Spain starting XI announced by Luis de la Fuente to take on France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final. He has gone with the same lineup that started the quarter-final against Belgium, meaning star midfielder Pedri remains on the bench!

OFICIAL | Nuestro once ante Francia.

Queremos estar en la final! #VamosEspana | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/HG73ITkT4M

— Seleccion Espanola Masculina de Futbol (@SEFutbol) July 14, 2026

Lamine Yamal has been on the verge of a major record for a few matches now, but has been unable to get it. Having turned 19 yesterday, Yamal still has the chance to become the youngest knockout goalscorer in World Cups in the 21st century, and the third-youngest of all-time behind Pele and Michael Owen.

Kylian Mbappe has established himself as one of the FIFA World Cup's greatest-ever players, enjoying yet another incredible campaign in 2026. Eight goals and three assists for France's No. 10 so far this edition. Mbappe needs two goals against Spain to achieve two big feats:

1) Overtake Lionel Messi as the all-time highest goalscorer in World Cup history
2) Become the first player in the 21st century to score 10 goals in a single World Cup

Spain are going to play in the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup for only the second time, and they're also hoping to reach the final for the second time. Their first one came in 2010, when they won the tournament for the first time.

France are looking to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. Champions in 2018, runners-up in 2022, can they reach the final again in 2026? If they do, they'll become the third team in history to do so, after West Germany (1982, 1986, 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998, 2002).

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final clash between France and Spain. Two European giants, two of the biggest favourites to win the whole thing face off today at Dallas Stadium. Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the match!