{"id":54515,"date":"2026-07-13T16:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/54515\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:37:11","slug":"spain-takes-on-mbappes-france-in-a-semifinal-that-feels-like-a-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/54515\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain Takes on Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s France in a Semifinal That Feels Like a Final"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spain and France meet in Dallas for a semifinal that feels like an early final\u2014just as it did at the 2022 European Championship\u2014with two European giants at the peak of their competitive form.\u00a0La Roja is on a roll after narrowly eliminating Portugal and Belgium, while Les Bleus are seeking their third final in four World Cups, led by a stellar Mbapp\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Spain returns to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since South Africa 2010\u2014where it won its only title\u2014after a decade of mixed results.\u00a0France, the reigning 2022 runner-up and a semifinalist in 2018 as well, has reached the final four for the third consecutive time. The rivalry of recent years adds spice to the matchup, as Spain defeated the French 5-4 in the 2025 Nations League semifinals, while France still holds onto the memory of its 3-1 victory in 2006. Though nothing compares to the Euro match two years ago and that goal by Lamine Yamal that went viral around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Luis de la Fuente\u2019s team overcame a lackluster debut\u2014a scoreless draw against Cape Verde\u2014to ultimately claim first place in Group H and build confidence through solid defense. In the knockout stage, Spain posted a convincing 3-0 victory over Austria in the Round of 32 before enduring nail-biting finishes against Portugal and Belgium\u2014both of whom they eliminated with last-minute goals in highly intense matches where Spain proved it has what it takes to compete at this level. Mikel Merino\u2019s decisive goals against Belgium and Portugal highlight the resilience of a team that always finds one more resource when the match seems headed for extra time.<\/p>\n

\"espa\u00f1a_mundial\"<\/p>\n

The French steamroller and Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s finishing<\/p>\n

France enters this semifinal with the confidence of having lived up to its status as favorite\u00a0since the group stage, where it topped its group following a stellar performance by Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, who scored a hat trick that paved the way to the knockout rounds. In the quarterfinals, Didier Deschamps\u2019s team secured a convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco in Foxborough, with Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 proving decisive despite missing a penalty, and Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 once again sealing the win to confirm their advancement to Dallas. Les Bleus are now a mature unit, accustomed to handling the pressure at this stage of the tournament, and with a roster of stars that makes every offensive transition a nightmare for their opponents.<\/p>\n

The match will be a battle of styles.\u00a0On one side, Rodri and Lamine Yamal\u2019s Spain, which controls possession and dictates the pace; on the other, a France that is lethal in open play with Mbapp\u00e9 as the driving force. The match will revolve around two key areas: the midfield duel between Rodri and the physical presence of Kon\u00e9 or Tchouam\u00e9ni, and the management of the imbalances on the wings, where Lamine and Dani Olmo will test their one-on-one skills against Kound\u00e9, who will also have to contain Cucurella\u2019s runs. On the benches, the tactical strategies also promise to be intriguing. Luis de la Fuente has shown the flexibility to bring in players like Fabi\u00e1n or Merino off the bench, while Deschamps manages offensive alternatives to change the script on the fly.<\/p>\n

In Spain, the core of the team seems set\u00a0with Unai Sim\u00f3n in goal, a defense that combines Laporte\u2019s experience with Cubars\u00ed\u2019s freshness, and a midfield built around Rodri. The questions lie at right back, where the more attacking option of Pedro Porro competes with the all-around profile of Marcos Llorente, and in the attacking midfield, with Baena under threat from Merino, who is crying out for a spot after his decisive performances. Up front, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo look set to partner Oyarzabal, the linchpin of an attack that has learned to thrive without a traditional center forward.<\/p>\n

France, for its part, is banking on the continuity of a starting lineup\u00a0in which Maignan provides stability, with Kound\u00e9 and Digne securing the flanks and the Upamecano\u2013Saliba duo forming a solid central defensive wall. In midfield, Tchouam\u00e9ni\u2019s return faces stiff competition from the outstanding form of Manu Kon\u00e9, while further up the field, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Olise, and Barcola are vying to create the ideal environment for Mbapp\u00e9, who\u2014though nursing an ankle injury but still available\u2014remains the tournament\u2019s biggest game-changer. The question of who will start on the left wing\u2014Barcola or Dou\u00e9\u2014will remain the biggest uncertainty until the very end.<\/p>\n

\"cuadro_mundial\"<\/p>\n

The head-to-head record between the two teams stands at 38 matches, with the balance tilted in Spain\u2019s favor.\u00a0The match is like an early final, with La Roja arriving eager to return to a final sixteen years later, backed by fans who will paint the stands in Dallas red, while France seeks to cement its status as a modern-day powerhouse by securing another appearance in a World Cup final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spain and France meet in Dallas for a semifinal that feels like an early final\u2014just as it did…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3645,313,556,7565,9150,3648,23040,17],"class_list":["post-54515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-espana","tag-football","tag-france","tag-francia","tag-futbol","tag-l","tag-la-france","tag-spain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}