France, world champion in 1998 and 2018, meets Spain, champion once in 2010, in a heavy European clash on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas in the semifinal of the North American World Cup.

France has had a near-perfect run in this tournament, collecting 9 points out of a possible 9 in Group 9, before overcoming three knockout rounds without conceding a goal: they beat Sweden (3-0, round of 32) and Paraguay (1-0 in the round of 16), before a strong display in the quarterfinal against Morocco 2-0, despite their star, captain and top scorer Kylian Mbappé missing an early penalty.

Reaching the semifinal for the third consecutive time in the World Cup gives Didier Deschamps' team historic status; France reaches the last four for the eighth time, only surpassed by Germany (12 times), and this day also sees a new record for Deschamps for the most matches coached in the World Cup (26 matches).

Reaching a third consecutive final in the biggest football competition will place France in a select group of only three teams (with Brazil and Germany) that have achieved this feat, and gives them a chance to avenge the disappointment of 4 years ago, when a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in Qatar prevented them from retaining the title.

As for Spain, the current European champion, they surprisingly drew with Cape Verde in their opening match in Group 8 (0-0), but regained their balance and topped the group with 7 points (two wins and a draw), and continued to improve their performance.

Before this summer, La Roja had not won any knockout match in the World Cup since their triumph in 2010 in South Africa, but they eliminated Austria (3-0, round of 32) then Portugal (1-0, round of 16), before conceding their first goal of the tournament in a 2-1 win over Belgium in the quarterfinal, where substitute Arsenal striker Mikel Merino stood out by scoring two decisive goals in stoppage time in the last two matches.

After 2010, this is only the second time Spain has reached the World Cup semifinal, with a positive indicator being their advancement in 6 of the last 7 semifinal appearances in major tournaments. Their coach Luis de la Fuente holds the longest unbeaten streak in the World Cup and European Championship (12 wins and one draw), and his team will enter this match with confidence, having not lost in regular time since March 2024 (26 wins and 10 draws).

If this streak continues, Spain will equal Italy's absolute record (37) set in 2021.

The two teams have met 38 times so far, with Spain winning 18 times, compared to 7 draws and 13 losses, including 7 wins in the last 10 matches (one draw and two losses), including two wins in the semifinal, during their last two encounters in Euro 2024 (2-1) and the 2025 UEFA Nations League final (5-4).

France has scored 16 goals in the current edition; 11 of them after halftime, and they have the best rate of shots on target per match in the tournament (7.8).

In contrast, Spain has averaged 7.33 corners per match during the 2026 World Cup. France relies on the voracious appetite of its top scorer and captain Mbappé, who has 8 goals in the current edition, topping the scoring charts alongside Argentina's captain and striker Lionel Messi, who could face Les Bleus again if both reach the final, where the defending champion meets England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Mbappé leads a fiery attacking line for Les Bleus with Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembélé (5 goals so far), and his PSG teammates Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, plus talented Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.

On the other side, great hopes are placed on Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who has not yet shone at the 2026 World Cup, but has scored 3 goals in two matches against France, and hopes to add more in Arlington.

France is cautious about Mbappé's condition after he left the quarterfinal match against Morocco with an ankle injury, but the technical staff expects to rely on their star.