France and Spain will put their unbeaten records on the line when they meet in the first FIFA World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, with a place in Sunday’s final at stake.
The two nations are making their 17th World Cup appearances and neither has trailed at any stage of this year’s tournament. They will face off at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
World number one France has scored 14 goals and conceded just twice so far. Captain Kylian Mbappé has netted eight times, level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-leading scorer. The 27-year-old is also one goal away from equalling Messi’s career World Cup tally of 21 goals.
“We are confident because of the journey we have had so far, but we also want to remain humble, which has defined us since the start of the tournament,” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said.
Mbappé has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup matches. He found the net in France’s 2018 World Cup final victory over Croatia, becoming only the second teenager after Pele to score in a World Cup final. Coach Didier Deschamps confirmed the forward is fully fit after he was substituted in the 77th minute of France’s quarter-final win over Morocco, in which he scored.
Spain will again look to 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his birthday on Monday. The Barcelona winger has happy memories against France, having scored in Spain’s 2-1 victory in the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship shortly before turning 17. Spain also beat France 5-4 in last year’s UEFA Nations League.
“I think if France has to fear anyone, it should be us,” Yamal said after Spain’s quarter-final victory over Belgium. “We were the team that eliminated them before.”
Yamal has scored once at this World Cup and registered 10 shots on target despite recovering from the left hamstring injury that forced him to miss the closing weeks of Barcelona’s season.
“This is the biggest match I have ever played,” he said on Monday. “The best birthday gift would be reaching the final.”
France defender Jules Koundé, Yamal’s Barcelona teammate, dismissed suggestions he was concerned by the youngster’s confidence.
“He always believes in himself and in the team he plays for. That’s simply extra motivation for him,” Koundé said.
Spain has scored 10 goals and conceded only once since beginning the tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde. Arsenal forward Mikel Merino has emerged as a decisive figure, scoring late winners in Spain’s last two knockout matches. He struck in first-half stoppage time of extra time during the 1-0 last-16 win over Portugal before scoring in the 88th minute to seal a 2-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium at the same venue.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón also enjoyed a landmark run, going 650 World Cup minutes without conceding before Belgium ended his streak with a goal in the 41st minute of the quarter-final.
Spain midfielder Alex Baena believes the team has grown stronger with each game.
“From the first game until now, we’ve gradually found our rhythm. The more we have played and trained together, the stronger we have become,” he said.
For the first time since 1990, all four World Cup semi-finalists are former champions. Defending champions Argentina, who defeated France in the 2022 final, will face England in the second semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta.
The World Cup final will be played on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while the third-place play-off is scheduled for Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
France and Spain have met only once before at a World Cup, with France winning 3-1 in the last 16 at the 2006 tournament in Germany. Since then, Spain has won its only World Cup title in 2010, while France lifted its second trophy in 2018.
Playing on Bastille Day, France is aiming to become only the third nation after Brazil and Germany to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. Brazil achieved the feat between 1994 and 2002, while West Germany reached three straight finals from 1982 to 1990.
France is appearing in its seventh World Cup semi-final and fifth in the last eight editions. Spain has reached the last four only twice before, in 1950 and during its title-winning campaign in 2010.
Tuesday’s match will be the ninth and final World Cup fixture at AT&T Stadium, the most hosted by any venue during the tournament. The stadium has staged several notable moments, including Lionel Messi scoring three goals in Argentina’s group-stage matches.
On 22 June, after missing a penalty, he scored twice against Austria to become the competition’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with his 20th and 21st career goals before adding another against Jordan on 27 June.
The venue also witnessed Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup appearance. The 41-year-old Portugal captain ended his sixth and last tournament in a 1-0 round-of-16 defeat to Spain on 6 July.
.jpg "Messi remains Golden Ball favourite, Mbappé leads scoreboard")
