Why is France vs Spain the biggest challenge for France?
France meets neighboring country, Spain, on July 14 in Dallas at 3 pm local time for the FIFA World Cup semi-final. The winner will play against either England or Argentina in the final.
Spain is known for adhering to a strict system, committed to possession and pressing.
France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, has somehow managed to get four superstars to play as a well-performing line, which has been an unstoppable formula in the tournament.
Which teams managed to score against France in the group stage?
France has kept a clean sheet throughout the knockout stage. They weren’t as strong defensively during the group stage, conceding a goal against Senegal in the first match and against Norway in the third.
June 30: France 3 – 0 Sweden (Round of 32)
July 4: Paraguay 0 – 1 France (Round of 16)
July 9: France 2 – 0 Morocco (Quarter-final)
How did Spain remain unbeaten until the quarter-final?
Spain went through the entire tournament without conceding a goal until the Quarter-final match against Belgium. They led Group H and then easily took care of Austria in the Round of 32.
June 15: Spain 0 – 0 Cabo Verde (Group play)
June 21: Spain 4 – 0 Saudi Arabia (Group play)
June 26: Uruguay 0 – 1 Spain (Group play)
July 2: Spain 3 – 0 Austria (Round of 32)
July 6: Portugal 0 – 1 Spain (Round of 16)
July 10: Spain 2 – 1 Belgium (Quarter final)
Sending Spain to the Final in 2010 🇪🇸💥#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Ic4KTI34ZV
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 14, 2026
What is the historical record between France and Spain?
These rivals have met 38 times on the pitch since their first friendly in 1922. They have a rich history of passionate matches due to their proximity and the pride each country takes in its football.
- Spain wins: 18
- France wins: 13
- Draws: 7
The last three meetings are the most relevant:
Oct 10, 2021: Spain 1 – 2 France (UEFA Nations League final)
- Goals: Oyarzabal 64′, Benzema 66′ and Mbappé 80′
Jul 9, 2024: Spain 2 – 1 France (UEFA Euro knockout stage)
- Goals: Yamal 21′, Kolo Muani 9′ and Olmo 25′
Jun 5, 2025: Spain 5 – 4 France (UEFA Nations League semifinal)
- Goals: Williams 22′, Merino 25′, Yamal 54′ (penalty), Pedri 55′, Mbappé 59′ (penalty), Yamal 67′, Cherki 79′, Vivian 84′ (own goal), and Kolo Muani 90+3′
What is the prediction for France vs Spain in the 2026 World Cup?
Both teams can score and keep their opponents from scoring. At least one team will have to concede a goal to move to the final game. While Spain finally conceded their first goal in their quarter-final against Belgium, France has stopped all attempts since the group stage.
Their history shows that they are pretty balanced and have had close matches as of late.
Spain has a young superstar who hasn’t yet stood out in the tournament. Winger Lamine Yamal just turned 19. He’s produced just one goal, but leads the team in shots, shots on goal, ground duels won, and completed crosses.
Spain has averaged more possession time in their six games than any other team in this World Cup at 65.8%, which means they do a lot of passing. However, in the last game between these two teams, France had possession for 53% of the time, with more passes (522 vs 398) and more completions (468 vs 330), but Spain still won. It will be interesting to see what transpires on Tuesday.
Our France vs Spain prediction is a France victory as they have the momentum to win the tournament. But it will be close, 3-2.
