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!