France and Spain will face each other in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final at Dallas Stadium. This match draws attention as the fight of two giants of world football. France and Spain competed hard against each other in their last encounter. In October 2021, France defeated Spain 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League final. In that match, Spanish player Mikel Oyarzabal put his team ahead in the 64th minute, but Karim Benzema equalized immediately after. Kylian Mbappé scored the goal that gave France the victory in the 80th minute. The two teams faced each other again in the Euro 2024 semi-finals and this time Spain won 2-1. France took the lead with Randal Kolo Muani in the 9th minute, and was shaken by Lamine Yamal's equalizing goal in the 21st minute, and Dani Olmo scored the goal that brought Spain the victory in the 25th minute. Their last meeting took place in the 2025 UEFA Nations League semi-final, where Spain defeated France in a high-scoring match 5-4. While Spain was ahead 5-1 in the 79th minute, France's comeback effort was inadequate. Yamal scored two goals in that match, while Mbappé scored a penalty goal.

Looking at historical data, this semi-final match looks like it will be quite competitive. Although Spain won the last two big matches, it can be said that France stands out as the favourite. The main reason for this situation is Ousmane Dembélé's form. Dembélé had not scored for France in major tournaments before this World Cup. However, he started to show his influence in the international arena with the goal he scored against Mauritania. In this tournament, Dembélé stands out with 5 goals and 2 assists. Dembélé's form also gives a great advantage to Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé continues to make history with a World Cup title and 20 goals in total. With the 12 qualifying goals he scored in this tournament, he has the title of being the player who scored the most qualifying goals in history.

!ImageFrance's Michael Olise also stands out as a midfielder with 5 assists in this tournament. France has had players of this caliber for years. However, having so many stars fit at the same time could be a challenge for Spain. Spain, on the other hand, tires its opponents by performing very well in ball possession and defense. Spain, under the management of coach Luis de la Fuente, is determined to continue its success at Euro 2024. During the de la Fuente era, Spain has won all 7 qualifying matches in major tournaments (Euro 2024 and 2026 World Cup). In this tournament, opponents had to wait 649 minutes to score against Spain. Spain only conceded a goal in the 2-1 win against Belgium in the quarter-finals. The performance of Spain's midfielders Pedri and Rodri will be critical against France. These players are often effective in maintaining possession of the ball and direct the game by keeping their opponents under constant pressure.