France Will Edge Out Spain in World Cup Semifinal | OneFootball

Didier Deschamps’ France has the opportunity to qualify for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final with a victory over Spain. Les Bleus will enter the match as slight favorites against the reigning European champions, who are also aiming to make a statement.

France will have the chance to make history on Tuesday at the World Cup. The opportunity to reach a third straight World Cup final represents, of course, a major milestone.

After comfortably eliminating Morocco, Deschamps’ side will nevertheless have to be wary of an ambitious Spain team that is also chasing another World Cup title. France will once again count on its attacking quartet as it looks to eliminate La Roja.

Below is all the key information you need to know before the France vs. Spain game, but this time we’re going to focus more on Les Bleus. Let’s get into it.

France vs. Spain

Kickoff: 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PTAT&T Dallas Stadium, ArlingtonWatch on FOX, Telemundo and fuboTV

France represents the biggest attacking threat in the entire tournament. They have scored 16 goals in six matches while posting a perfect record of six wins. Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, recorded a hat trick against Norway in the group stage and has five goals in the tournament. Michael Olise has six assists, one shy of Pele’s all-time World Cup record of seven set in 1970.

The knockout stage has confirmed France’s dominance. A 3-0 win over Sweden in the round of 32, a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16 thanks to Mbappé’s penalty, and a 2-0 win over Morocco in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the 2022 semifinal, have highlighted a team that finishes its chances efficiently while allowing very few opportunities to its opponents.

Deschamps uses a 4-2-3-1 formation with a double pivot. Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné (or Aurélien Tchouaméni if he recovers from his groin injury) protect the back line, while Olise operates as the attacking midfielder behind Mbappé. Dembélé and Bradley Barcola play on the wings, with dribbling ability and pace as their main strengths.

The trio of Mbappé, Dembélé, and Olise have combined for 23 goal contributions during this World Cup, three more than Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho when Brazil won the title in 2002. Mbappé, with eight goals, is just one strike away from Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup record of 21 career goals.

Both teams have won each of their last five matches, but their attacking profiles differ. France averages 2.67 goals per game compared to Spain’s 2.20. Even so, La Roja’s ability to decide matches in the closing minutes, with Mikel Merino as their main specialist, adds an element of uncertainty that is difficult to measure.

France vs. Spain: Team News & Predicted Lineup for Les Bleus

The main question mark for France is Aurélien Tchouaméni. The Real Madrid midfielder has been dealing with a groin issue since before the round-of-16 match against Paraguay and also missed the quarterfinal victory over Morocco, remaining on the bench for the full 90 minutes without seeing the field.

If Tchouameni is not fit in time, Deschamps will keep the midfield pairing of Rabiot and Koné in the double pivot, a combination that has already worked in France’s two knockout matches so far.

Aside from that uncertainty, Deschamps has no major absences. Mike Maignan will start in goal, with Jules Koundé and Theo Hernández at fullback, while William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano will anchor the center of the defense.

France predicted XI vs. Spain:Maignan;Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez;Koné, Rabiot;Dembélé, Olise, Barcola;Mbappé.

Match prediction: France 3-1 Spain.