France vs Spain—World Cup: Live score and match stats

49' | MIDFIELD CLASH! Upamecano Wins Free Kick

Fabián Ruiz gets a little too aggressive in a 50-50 challenge, conceding a foul on Dayot Upamecano who smartly shields the ball to win a relieving free kick for France deep in their own half.

46' | SECOND HALF SUB! Koné In, Rabiot Out

France kicks off the second half with a crucial change as the booked A. Rabiot makes way for Manu Koné, a tactical switch aimed at injecting much-needed mobility and energy into the French midfield.

45'+7' | HALF TIME! Spain Lead at the Break

The referee blows the whistle to bring an action-packed first half to a close, with Spain holding onto their narrow lead thanks to Oyarzabal's penalty, leaving France with plenty of work to do in the second half.

45'+4' | STOPPAGE TIME FOUL! Koundé Wins Free Kick

Deep into added time, J. Koundé uses his body well to draw a cynical foul from Álex Baena, giving France a dangerous set-piece opportunity late in the half.

45' | EXTRA TIME! Six Minutes Added

The fourth official raises the board to signal six minutes of stoppage time, giving France a final lifeline to find an equalizer before the halftime whistle blows.

42' | CORNER AGAIN! Cubarsí Denies France

France wins yet another corner just before the break, forced out by the ubiquitous Pau Cubarsí who continues to act as a one-man wall to halt the French attack.

37' | CLOSE SHOT! Porro Fires Wide

Fabián Ruiz picks out Pedro Porro with a sharp pass, but the full-back's ambitious right-footed effort from outside the box lacks the necessary curl and flashes wide of the left post.

34' | OFFSIDE RESCUE! Penalty Claim Denied

Spain orchestrate a dangerous attack as Álex Baena gathers a cleared ball at the edge of the box and goes down under a heavy challenge from French keeper Mike Maignan, prompting furious penalty appeals from the Spanish players. However, the referee swiftly dismisses the claims as the linesman's flag was already up for offside at the start of the play, letting France off the hook in a massive sigh of relief.

31' | BOOKED! Cucurella in the Book

M. Cucurella is shown a yellow card after committing a cynical foul, adding his name to the referee's notebook and handing France a dangerous set-piece opportunity.

24' | TIME TO REGROUP! Drinks Break

The referee calls for a mandatory drinks break, giving France a vital opportunity to regroup, rethink their strategy, and figure out how to crack this Spanish defense after falling behind.

22' | GOAL! Oyarzabal Converts
France 0 - 1 Spain

Mikel Oyarzabal steps up under immense pressure and coolly slots home a lethal left-footed strike from the penalty spot, sending the keeper the wrong way to break the deadlock!

20' | PENALTY! Lifeline for Spain

Drama in the box as the referee points straight to the spot, awarding Spain a massive penalty kick and a golden opportunity to break the deadlock!

10' | BIZARRE DELAY! Ref Forgets Spray

Play comes to a grinding halt in a bizarre moment as the referee realizes he left his vanishing spray on the sideline before a crucial free kick. Both teams are forced to wait while the official retrieves his toolkit, giving the players a brief breather to regroup before the wall is finally marked and the match gets back underway.

9' | BOOKED! Rabiot Sees Yellow

A. Rabiot enters the referee's notebook early after a cynical challenge, picking up a yellow card and walking a tightrope for the remainder of the match. 

6' | CORNER! France Threatens

France wins a corner after pushing deep into enemy territory, forced out by a decisive intervention from Pau Cubarsí who was left with no choice but to concede the set piece.

1' | KICKOFF! Underway

Spain start with the ball, moving it quickly across the backline as they look to establish an early rhythm and take control of the tempo right from the whistle.

Clash of titans in Texas: France and Spain lock in lineups for epic World Cup semifinal

The grandest stage in international football has reached its business end as European heavyweights France and Spain collide at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, for a highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal matchup. With a coveted spot in the tournament finale on the line, both managers have locked in their official starting combinations, tactical setups, and deep benches. The winner of this blockbuster encounter will punch their ticket to Sunday's championship match to face either Argentina or England.

France manager Didier Deschamps has lined up Les Bleus in a balanced and familiar 4-2-3-1 formation. Mike Maignan anchors the side between the posts, aiming to build on a defense that has kept three consecutive clean sheets in the knockout rounds. The central defensive axis is marshaled by William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, while Jules Koundé and Lucas Digne operate on the fullback channels.

The midfield double-pivot features the industrious engine room pairing of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot, which allows former Gladbach star Manu Koné to drop to the bench. The fluid attacking unit sees Michael Olise pull the creative strings in the hole, flanked by the blistering pace of Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé on the wings. Leading the line is world-class captain Kylian Mbappé, who sits tied at the top of the World Cup goalscoring charts with eight goals. Deschamps retains massive game-changing depth in reserve, with N'Golo Kanté, Marcus Thuram, and Rayan Cherki available from the dugout.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente counters with an identical 4-2-3-1 structural blueprint engineered to control territorial possession and restrict France's dangerous transition threat. Unai Simón commands the goalmouth behind a sturdy defensive wall containing central defenders Aymeric Laporte and teenage prodigy Pau Cubarsí. Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella complete the backline at fullback. The midfield axis features defensive midfield pillar Rodri alongside the physical presence of Fabián Ruiz, providing a solid foundation for the technical final third. The creative engine revolves around Dani Olmo operating in the advanced playmaker role, flanked by Álex Baena and generational teenage sensation Lamine Yamal on the right wing. Mikel Oyarzabal receives the responsibility to spearhead the frontline as a fluid central target man. De la Fuente holds world-class depth on his bench, with Nico Williams, Gavi, and Pedri waiting to make a high-impact entrance if called upon.

France National Football Team

Starting Line-up
16 M. Maignan (GK), 5 J. Koundé (D), 17 W. Saliba (D), 4 D. Upamecano (D), 3 L. Digne (D), 8 A. Tchouaméni (M), 14 A. Rabiot (M), 7 O. Dembélé (M), 11 M. Olise (M), 12 B. Barcola (M), 10 K. Mbappé (A)

Substitutions
1 B. Samba, 2 M. Gusto, 6 M. Koné, 9 M. Thuram, 13 N. Kanté, 15 I. Konaté, 18 W. Zaïre-Emery, 19 T. Hernández, 20 D. Doué, 21 L. Hernández, 22 J. Mateta, 23 R. Risser, 24 R. Cherki, 25 M. Akliouche, 26 M. Lacroix

Manager
Didier Claude Deschamps

Spain National Football Team

Starting Line-up
23 Unai Simón (GK), 12 Pedro Porro (D), 22 Pau Cubarsí (D), 14 Aymeric Laporte (D), 24 M. Cucurella (D), 16 Rodri (M), 8 Fabián Ruiz (M), 19 Lamine Yamal (M), 10 Dani Olmo (M), 15 Álex Baena (M), 21 Mikel Oyarzabal (A)

Substitutions
1 David Raya, 2 Marc Pubill, 3 Alejandro Grimaldo, 4 Eric García, 5 Marcos Llorente, 6 Mikel Merino, 7 Ferran Torres, 9 Gavi, 11 Yéremy Pino, 13 Joan García, 17 Nico Williams, 18 Martín Zubimendi, 20 Pedri, 25 Víctor Muñoz, 26 Borja Iglesias

Manager
Luis de la Fuente Castillo