France and Spain meet in World Cup semifinal showdown

France and Spain met at Dallas Stadium in a semifinal that put France one win from a third consecutive World Cup final. Warren Zaïre-Emery said France had players who could make the difference and wanted to end its bad run against Spain, a message that fit a squad built around Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola.

France reached its eighth World Cup semifinal after a path that ran through Senegal, Iraq, Norway, Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco. FIFA set kickoff for 2 p.m. in Dallas, 9 p.m. in Paris and Madrid, and said a victory would put France into a third straight final. Among European teams, only West Germany had managed that before, reaching the final in 1982, 1986 and 1990.

Spain arrived as the most difficult tactical test left in the tournament. FIFA described Spain as "control masters" after it conceded only two goals in the entire event and none in the knockout rounds, then beat Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals on goals from Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino. Spain also carried a 36-match unbeaten streak, matching Argentina's best run from 2019 to 2022.

The pressure on France was sharpened by Mbappe's numbers. FIFA said he had scored eight goals at the World Cup and 20 in 20 World Cup matches overall, giving France the most proven finisher in the semifinal. Former France international Luis Fernandez said France had the talent to win the tournament and singled out Mbappe, Dembele and the rest of the attack, a view that matched the depth in France's tournament group, which also included Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Manu Kone, N'Golo Kante and Zaïre-Emery.

Spain's confidence was just as clear. Lamine Yamal said Spain did not fear France, setting up a semifinal shaped as much by mentality as by talent, with France trying to force the game open and Spain trying to slow it down.