World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Semi-final
Francevs
Spain
0–2
Full time · Tuesday, July 14, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. ET · Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, TX
Result
Spain ended France's perfect record to reach the World Cup final, winning the semi-final 2-0 at Dallas Stadium. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead on 58 with a low finish from Dani Olmo's pass. France, whose forwards had scored in every previous match, shared possession evenly but could not beat Unai Simon, who kept a clean sheet with three saves. De la Fuente's unbeaten side meet the winner of England v Argentina in New York/New Jersey on 19 July; France go into the third-place play-off. Spain advance to the final.
France 4-2-3-14-2-3-1 SpainFranceSubstitutions
At this Stage
So much for the only perfect team left. Spain ended France's six-from-six run the way they've ended everyone's — patient, and clinical when it mattered — winning 2-0 under the Dallas roof to reach the final. Mikel Oyarzabal's 22nd-minute penalty settled the nerves; Pedro Porro's low finish from Dani Olmo's pass on 58 settled the tie. France shared the ball almost evenly (49-51) but a front line that had scored in every previous match was blanked for the first time all tournament, unable to beat Unai Simon, who kept a clean sheet with three saves. La Roja go to New York/New Jersey on 19 July; France, denied a trophy send-off for the departing Deschamps, drop into the third-place play-off. Whoever survives tomorrow's England-Argentina semi is the last obstacle between Spain and the cup.
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Final
What we know now
Venue: Dallas Stadium
Attendance: 70,176
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, or stream on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock or the Telemundo app).
Watched by: 11.5M in the US
What I said beforehand
The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.
France to reach the final. Deschamps' side are the only remaining perfect team — six wins from six — with Kylian Mbappé (eight goals, tied for the Golden Boot) and the outstanding Michael Olise (a tournament-high six assists) driving an attack that has scored in every game. Spain are a formidable obstacle: unbeaten, patient and hard to break down, and they beat this France at the same stage of Euro 2024. But France's transition threat and knockout pedigree — and greater depth if Mbappé is fully fit — tilt a very tight tie their way. France by a single goal; extra time would not surprise.
My locked pick: France advance ✗ WRONG
“France to reach the final. Deschamps' side have been the tournament's most complete team — unbeaten, into a third straight semi-final, and fresh off a controlled 2-0 win over Morocco. De la Fuente's Spain are dangerous and possession-heavy but needed a late Mikel Merino winner to edge Belgium and conceded for the first time all tournament in doing so. In a tight one, France's knockout pedigree and transition threat edge it. France by a goal.”
Locked 2026-07-11 08:12 UTC — rendered verbatim from the pick ledger; never a fresher, hedged version
The case for France
44% to winFrance have looked the most complete side in the tournament: six wins from six, goals in every match, and a front line of Mbappé, Dembélé, Doué and Olise that can decide a game in one transition. Their spine — Maignan, Saliba, Rabiot — is settled and battle-tested, and Deschamps rarely loses a knockout tie when the attack is firing. If they start on the front foot and Mbappé is fit, Spain's patient build-up may not get the time and space it needs.
The case for Spain
30% to winSpain have not lost all tournament and only conceded their first goal in the quarter-final — the possession-and-press model of Rodri, Pedri and Lamine Yamal wears opponents down and smothers counters at source. They beat France 2-1 at this exact stage of Euro 2024, carry the tournament's meanest defence and have shown a knack for late winners. Keep the ball, deny France transitions, and de la Fuente's side can reach a first World Cup final since 2010.
Both cases written 2026-07-11, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 26% belongs to the draw.
Storylines
- A rematch of the Euro 2024 semi-final, which Spain won 2-1 on their way to the title; club rivals Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal meet again, this time on the international stage.
- France are the only unbeaten, 100%-record side left — six wins from six — and Mbappé (eight goals) is tied with Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot; Michael Olise leads the tournament with six assists.
- Spain conceded their first goal of the tournament in the quarter-final, ending Unai Simón's record scoreless run, but still found a late Mikel Merino winner to keep an unbeaten campaign alive.
- The winner reaches the World Cup final in New York/New Jersey on 19 July; the loser drops to the third-place play-off in Miami.
The coaches
Didier Deschamps France
The 2018 World Cup winner, in charge since 2012 and leaving after this tournament, has France unbeaten and set up to strike in transition through Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise.
Luis de la Fuente Spain
The reigning European champion coach plays patient, possession-based football built on Rodri and Pedri, with Lamine Yamal the spark; his Spain are unbeaten and were the tournament's meanest defence until the last eight.
Availability
| Kylian Mbappé | Declared fully fit to start — Deschamps said the captain is "100%" after the ankle knock that saw him substituted late in the quarter-final, downplaying a modified individual training session on Monday. Tied for the Golden Boot on eight goals | Press conference |
| Aurélien Tchouaméni | Has completed his recovery from the adductor/thigh problem that kept him out of the quarter-final and is expected to return to the starting midfield alongside Rabiot, with Manu Koné dropping to the bench | Sports Mole / Sports Illustrated |
| Pedri | Rested for the quarter-final, where Fabián Ruiz started alongside Rodri; Fabián is expected to retain the role, leaving Pedri among the substitutes | Yahoo Sports / Sports Illustrated |
| Nico Williams | Still working back to full fitness after a knock; expected among the substitutes, with Álex Baena keeping the left-wing role | Yahoo Sports / Sports Illustrated |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Weather: AT&T Stadium in Arlington has a retractable roof, so playing conditions can be controlled regardless of the Texas summer heat outside. (Venue (retractable roof), as of 2026-07-11)
Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador). Assisted by fellow Salvadoran David Morán, with Sweden's Glenn Nyberg as fourth official. At 35 Barton becomes the first Central American referee to take charge of a men's World Cup semi-final. (FIFA semi-final appointment (Concacaf; NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, 13 Jul 2026), as of 2026-07-14)
Venue: Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, TX, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.