France and Spain face each other in the World Cup semi-finals
The hosts discuss the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup semi-final between France and Spain, which takes place today in Dallas. Sports and entertainment journalist Mike Gunzelman analyzes this intense match, highlighting Spain’s strong defense against Kylian Mbappé. He also reflects on the massive success of the tournament and the growing popularity of soccer in the United States.
It’s been a few days without football and it’s been a bit strange. I wonder how I will feel after this World Cup ends in a few days. We only have four games left (including today’s game). The World Cup has been very engaging and entertaining so far, and I think FIFA must be very happy to have put the remaining four teams together in the Final Four. Let’s see how we should play the first match of the 2026 World Cup semi-finals.
There are at least two players who have said that France is the team to beat or that they will win it all. As a French ticket holder, I hope this comes to fruition. Getting to the final game will be quite a challenge. I don’t know much about football, but I can tell you that after watching these games, it seems like one small mistake can change the entire game. France has been lucky not to have made many mistakes so far. They have a solid defense, three great offensive players and more, so maybe their team is just good at covering up for mistakes they make.
Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 9, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
During its World Cup matches, France hardly had to sweat. Their worst match was against Paraguay where they still won 1-0. In their last match, they beat Morocco 2-0. Throughout this tournament, they have not allowed more than one goal in any game and have outscored their opponents 16-2. Their leader, Kylian Mbappe, and his counterpart, Ousmane Dembele, combined to score 13 of those goals. The third member of their line, Michael Olise, also has five assists.
HOW TO WATCH FRANCE VS SPAIN: LIVE STREAM THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
It will be a tough game for Spain to win, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t pressure on France. Spain are one of the best teams in the world and they beat France last year in the UEFA Nations League semi-final. This match saw Spain win 5-4. Spain opened their World Cup with a draw against Cape Verde. At the time it looked like Spain were underperforming, but the Cape Verde team proved to be very talented and presented a tough match. To get out of the group stage, they easily beat Saudi Arabia, then Uruguay in a close match.
France’s Kylian Mbappé and Spain’s Lamine Yamal will face off in the World Cup semi-finals in Dallas to determine which country has a chance of lifting the World Cup trophy on July 19. (GETTY)
Once we got to the round of 16, things were a little more difficult. They beat Austria 3-0, but struggled to beat Portugal, winning 1-0. Then, against Belgium, this match ended in a closely fought 2-1 victory. They never trailed in this game, but both teams scored in the first half. A very late Spanish goal gave them a lead that would never be relinquished. It was more of a mistake by Belgium than anything that led to that Spanish goal. Mistakes cost people games in every sport.
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A lot of people consider this a championship game. I guess they are not very attached to Argentina or England. That may be true, but if you see two teams fighting before facing a different opponent, it can hurt them for the next match. The advantage for each team is that they will benefit from additional rest before the final.
French striker Ousmane Dembélé celebrates his team’s second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP)
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I think Spain was a little luckier than France, but they have nothing to lose either. An interesting fact is that Spain arrives undefeated in regulation time in its last 36 international competitions. Looks like they’re going to lose, right? As mentioned, I already have a ticket for France to win the World Cup, if I didn’t I would still take them here. I’ll take over 2.5 goals here though. I think the final will be France 2-1 and I think they will win in 90 minutes.
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