France and Spain will open this year’s World Cup semi-finals in Dallas, meeting for only the second time in the tournament’s history. Spain arrive having conceded just a single goal all tournament, a header from Charles De Ketelaere late in the first half of their quarter-final against Belgium, though their attack has managed only 11 goals so far, a modest tally given the individual talent and fluid style the squad is known for.
France have been equally solid defensively, conceding just two goals, albeit against comparatively weaker opposition, while scoring 16 times across the tournament. Kylian Mbappé leads the scoring charts with eight of those goals, with the remainder shared between Ousmane Dembélé, who has five, Bradley Barcola with two, and Desiré Doué with one.
Didier Deschamps’ side are aiming to become just the third nation in World Cup history to reach three consecutive finals, joining West Germany, who achieved the feat across 1982, 1986, and 1990, and Brazil, who did so from 1994 to 2002. Should France advance, Mbappé would have the chance to become the first player ever to score in three straight finals, having already found the net against Croatia in 2018 and Argentina in 2022, while also becoming only the second player after Cafu to feature in three consecutive finals.
A Spain victory, meanwhile, would send them to their first final since their title-winning run in 2010, the only other occasion they have reached this stage. With England occupying the other semi-final slot, there remains a possibility of a rematch of the Euro 2024 final, which Spain won 2-1.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, Spain head coach de la Fuente struck an optimistic tone. “I tell the players that we need to enjoy ourselves; we’re in a situation that might never happen again,” he said. “That we be ourselves, and that we be wary of the opposition’s strengths. We absolutely must believe we want to go through. We’ll give it our all to reach the final.”
