France vs Spain Predictions
France and Spain face off in Dallas on Tuesday for a place in the 2026 World Cup final.
In a match worthy of the final, a potential classic could unfold, with the air-conditioned venue boosting the chances of an all-action encounter.
BTTS looks like a solid pick, while I also fancy at least three goals scored.
Thriller on the Cards in Dallas
- France scored an average of 2.6 goals per game in their last 10 matches
- France have seen BTTS & over 2.5 goals in their last 3 matches against Spain
- Spain scored an average of 1.8 goals per game in their last 10 matches
Spain Hold Recent H2H Advantage
France and Spain have met on ten occasions since 2006. Spain won six of those matches while France secured three victories.
La Roja claimed a 2-1 victory when the sides met in the Euro 2024 semi-finals before edging a remarkable 5-4 Nations League contest last summer.
France won the nations' only previous World Cup encounter with a 3-1 round-of-16 victory in 2006.
France Maintain Perfect Winning Record
France reached their third successive World Cup semi-final with a surprisingly straightforward 2-0 win against Morocco.
Kylian Mbappe recovered from an earlier penalty miss to open the scoring with a superb long-range effort before setting up Ousmane Dembele as Les Bleus eased to victory in Boston.
Didier Deschamps’ impressive side have now won all six matches at this tournament, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two.
Les Bleus cruised to a 3-0 victory against Sweden in the round of 32 before recording successive clean-sheet wins against Paraguay and Morocco.
The tournament favourites have been in superb form over the past 12 months, winning 15 of 17 games played since June 2025. France scored two goals or more in all but two of those matches.
Mbappe and Dembele have been France's standout performers, scoring 13 goals between them.
The Real Madrid forward leads the Golden Boot race alongside Lionel Messi with eight, while Balon d’Or winner Dembele has scored five goals.
Spain Continue Impressive Run
Spain booked their place in the last four with a dramatic 2-1 quarter-final victory against Belgium last week.
PSG midfielder Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for Luis de la Fuente's side before Charles De Ketelaere levelled matters, with Spain conceding for the first time in the competition.
La Roja have been in solid if unspectacular form this summer, but remain one of the strongest sides in world football. Spain scored 11 goals in six games at this competition, with just one conceded.
Spain's remarkable unbeaten run should not be ignored. De la Fuente's men are unbeaten in their last 36 matches and have not lost a competitive fixture since a 2-0 defeat against Scotland in March 2023.
The European champions' tournament nous should also serve as a warning to France. La Roja have lost just one of their 27 matches at major competitions since the beginning of the 2018 World Cup.
France vs Spain Team News
France: (4-2-3-1) Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue; Kylian Mbappe
Head coach Deschamps is expected to have a fully fit squad available this week.
France captain Kylian Mbappe is expected to start despite sustaining a minor ankle injury against Morocco. Manu Kone is also expected to be available after coming off with a knee issue in the quarter-final.
Aurelien Tchouameni has returned to training following a thigh injury and could replace Kone in midfield.
Speaking to the media ahead of Tuesday's crunch tie in Dallas, Deschamps continued the mind games by insisting Spain remain favourites to progress.
“If you look at Spain's first game against Cape Verde, which ended 0-0, you can forget about that,” he said.
“In the matches since then, Spain have confirmed that they are the favourites. I don't want to put extra pressure on Luis [de la Fuente] or his team. He knows very well that people expect a lot from them.”
Spain: (4-2-3-1) Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Mikel Oyarzabal
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has close to a full squad available for Tuesday’s semi-final. Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino have recovered from injuries and should be available from the bench.
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is pushing for a start after scoring the winner against Belgium.
In-form forward Mikel Oyarzabal should retain his place in attack, with Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena expected to provide support from the flanks.
Luis de la Fuente believes Spain have what it takes to eliminate tournament favourites France, insisting he has “very high expectations” ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final in Dallas.
Speaking after the quarter-final win over Belgium, De la Fuente praised the strength of his squad after midfielders Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino scored the goals.
“We are both teams that would be considered candidates to reach the final,” De la Fuente said through a translator.
“France have exceptional quality, and so do we. We have very high expectations for the next game.
“We are aware of the enormous potential of the team in front of us, but we also know that we are the only side to have beaten them in their last two semi-finals.”