2026 World Cup: France vs. Spain, Probable Lineups

The semifinals are set to begin at the 2026 World Cup: the first, scheduled for AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in Texas, will pit France against Spain—a match that, regardless of the outcome, will mark the 21st time (the 19th consecutive time) in 23 World Cup tournaments that a European national team has reached the final.

France is the team that has impressed the most in this World Cup and is also the only one to have won all its matches so far in regulation time. After cruising through the group stage (3-1 over Senegal, 3-0 over Iraq, 4-1 over Norway), Les Bleus defeated Sweden 3-0, Paraguay 1-0 (the only truly hard-fought match, especially given the Albirroja’s aggressiveness), and Morocco 2-0. The star of the show is Kylian Mbappé, but Michael Olise, Desiré Doué, and Ousmane Dembelé, among others, have also made their mark.

Spain, on the other hand, started with a rather disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, a result that was only later reevaluated due to the Africans’ surprising run. Since then, however, it’s been nothing but wins: 4-0 over Saudi Arabia, 1-0 over Uruguay, 3-0 over Austria, 1-0 over Portugal, and 2-1 over Belgium. With Lamine Yamal somewhat overshadowed (just one goal scored, against the Saudis), other players have stepped up, first and foremost Mikel Merino: the Arsenal midfielder was decisive in the closing stages against both the Portuguese and the Red Devils, each time coming on as a substitute.

Probable Lineups

FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembelé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé. Head Coach: Deschamps.

SPAIN (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Oyarzabal. Head Coach: De la Fuente.