France has made two alterations to the lineup that triumphed over Morocco. Aurélien Tchouaméni steps in for Manu Koné in midfield, while Bradley Barcola takes over from Désiré Doué on the left wing.
France’s starting eleven includes: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Dembele, Olise, Barcola, and Mbappe. The substitutes are Samba, Risser, Gusto, Kone, Thuram, Kante, Konate, Zaire Emery, Theo Hernandez, Doue, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Cherki, Akliouche, and Lacroix.
Spain’s lineup features: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri, Fabian, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, and Oyarzabal. Their bench includes Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Gonzalez, Munoz, and Iglesias.
The match will be officiated by referee Ivan Barton Cisneros from El Salvador.
This semi-final marks France’s eighth appearance at this stage, where they have enjoyed a decent record: three losses—against Brazil in 1958 and West Germany in 1982 and 1986—followed by four victories against Croatia in 1998, Portugal in 2006, Belgium in 2018, and Morocco in 2022.
In contrast, this will be just Spain’s second semi-final, but they boast an impeccable record, having defeated Germany in 2010. They also competed in the 1950 final pool, which turned out to be anything but dull.
There have been only four penalty shootouts in the tournament thus far. Will we see another tonight? And if so, what will unfold?
Spain had a slow start to the tournament, with their opening match ending in a goalless draw against Cape Verde, which, in hindsight, is not as poor as it seemed at the time. They bounced back with a straightforward victory over Saudi Arabia, followed by eliminating Uruguay. Despite their rough beginnings, Spain managed to top Group H.
In the knockout rounds, Spain has performed well enough without reaching their full potential yet. The effortless finishes by Mikel Oyarzabal against Austria were a highlight.
France advanced through Group I with relative ease. Although they began sluggishly, they eventually overwhelmed Senegal. A two-hour weather delay during their match against Iraq was merely a minor hiccup. They then achieved a solid victory against Norway B.
As the knockout stages progressed, France showcased their quality, managing to assert their dominance, which brings us to this highly anticipated match.
At the outset of this thrilling journey, little has changed, except for the rising hopes and expectations ahead of this confrontation.
Now, France and Spain are set to face off in a World Cup semi-final where both teams have been the standout performers. This encounter is one that truly lives up to the hype. Kick-off in Dallas is scheduled for 8 PM BST/3 PM EST/5 AM AEST. Let the game begin!
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