Arguably no attack in this World Cup has been as strong as France’s, and no defense as solid as Spain’s. Les Bleus have been the dominant force in World Cups as of late, winning in 2018 and losing in a penalty shootout to Argentina in the 2022 final, and La Roja are the reigning Euro champions. The 3 p.m. ET battle between the two is the biggest clash of titans yet in this World Cup.
The stakes, of course, are immense. The winner will go on to face either England or the Albiceleste in next Sunday’s final, marking the first time ever that the top four nations in the world by the FIFA World Rankings ultimately made the semifinal.
Throughout the World Cup, DraftKings Network will be highlighting several of the tournament’s marquee matchups, breaking down every goal and major moment. Here’s how the first semifinal played out:
France vs. Spain odds
France is a +155 favorite to win in regular time (-140 to advance to the final) at DraftKings Sportsbook, and Spain is +210 (+110 to advance). There are +200 odds that the match will ultimately go to extra time.
Tracking France vs. Spain
Follow along as DKNetwork tracks the semifinal match between France and Spain! This section will be updated.
FT: AND THAT’S IT! SPAIN IS INTO THE WORLD CUP FINAL, AND IT TIES ITALY’S RECORD FOR THE LONGEST STREAK WITHOUT A DEFEAT IN HISTORY! FOR A RECORD SIXTH TIME, LA ROJA HAVE KEPT A CLEAN SHEET! LES BLEUS WILL PLAY IN THE THIRD-PLACE MATCH, BUT FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, THEIR WORLD CUP ENDS IN HEARTBREAK! WILL IT BE ARGENTINA OR ENGLAND?
90’+7: Stop me if you’ve seen this one before. Dembélé shot it right at Simón, then Mbappé missed over the bar!
90’+5: Officially, that’s just the second shot on target of the match for France! Dembélé fired from the right side of the 18-yard box, and it went right at Simón. It’s just been that kind of day for Dembélé, Mbappé, and Olise.
90’+4: That was nearly a maiden World Cup goal for Nico Williams! He fired near post and missed.
90’+1: Some great defending by Spain, including an incredible tackle by Marc Cucurella on Mbappé! But Les Bleus still have a chance, as there will be seven minutes of added time!
89′: And, in what has been emblematic of Les Bleus’ struggles all match, Mbappé shot it over the bar.
88′: A very, very dangerous free kick for France right at the corner of the box after Yamal fouled Doué! It was so close to being a penalty; Yamal got away with one there.
86′: Mbappé has now received a yellow card for shoving Simón while trying to press. Simón picked up the ball, and Mbappé pushed him, seemingly out of frustration.
84′: Two more changes for La Roja: Pedro Porro and Álex Baena off, Nico Williams and Marcos Llorente on.
81′: Unai Simón was way out of the box, and it bounced straight toward Desiré Doué, but he got back inside the box to make an incredible stop! Doué could’ve shot earlier, but what a play that was!
78′: Two more substitutions for Spain: Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz are off, and Pedri and super-sub Mikel Merino are on. Remember, Merino found the winner for La Roja in each of the past two games!
76′: Yamal got pretty lucky not to get booked there after stopping Mbappé’s break with a rough tackle! Yamal isn’t a great defender, so it’s unsurprising that he hasn’t challenged Mbappé much, but it’s nice to see both teams’ stars directly against each other.
74′: Spain has made a change as well, and Mikel Oyarzabal is off for Ferrán Torres!
72′: France has made its final two changes now. Michael Olise and Lucas Digne are coming off, and Theo Hernández and Rayan Cherki are on! Olise arguably should’ve been booked with a red card for a tackle on Rodri in the first half, but now his match is over.
69′: It’s now time for the hydration break! With just 20 minutes (plus stoppage time) remaining, Spain has firm control of this game, and France still hasn’t officially registered a shot on target! La Roja took advantage of their only high-quality chances, while Les Bleus haven’t produced any! There are -1200 odds that Spain will win in regular time!
67′: And now Marc Cucurella has made a great stop! Mbappé unleashed from the top of the box, and only Cucurella’s deflection stopped it from finding the back of the net!
64′: Unai Simón has now made his first save of the game, as Mbappé beat Pedro Porro to the near post and fired from a difficult angle! It wasn’t a very high-quality look, but manufacturing shots for Mbappé is something Les Bleus will certainly have to do.
61′: LAMINE YAMAL THOUGHT HE’D ENDED IT! RODRI FOUND HIM WITH A BEAUTIFUL THROUGH BALL, HE CUT IT BACK AND CURLED IT INTO THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF THE NET! THEN, THE FLAG WENT UP FOR OFFSIDES!
58′: AND THAT COULD BE IT! PEDRO PORRO HAS MADE IT 2-0, AND NOW LES BLEUS ARE REALLY IN TROUBLE! SOME NIFTY PASSING THERE FROM SPAIN, AND PORRO HAD MILES OF SPACE IN THE BOX! IN THE ONE-ON-ONE WITH MAIGNAN, HE DID NOT MISS! WHAT A ONE-TWO WITH DANI OLMO AT THE TOP OF THE BOX! LA ROJA ARE NOW -1200 TO MOVE ON!
57′: A third substitution of the game already for France, and this one who could make a huge impact! Desiré Doué is, of course, club teammates with Ousmane Dembélé at back-to-back Champions League winner PSG, and he’s had a strong first World Cup so far. He’s on, and now Barcola (another PSG man) is off.
54′: Spain has briefly dropped into a back five to defend as France put some pressure on the box, and that allowed La Roja to prevent Mbappé from finding any daylight. It’s been a very, very quiet game for Les Bleus’ captain so far.
52′: And now there’s the actual first shot of the half, as Oyarzabal uncorked one from the top of the box that very narrowly went over the bar.
51′: That looked like it would’ve been the first major chance of the second half for either time, as Yamal shot it right into Mike Maignan’s chest at the near post, but he was eventually flagged for offsides. Still no shots in this half.
46′: We’re back underway, with Manu Koné now in the game in place of Adrien Rabiot, who picked up a yellow card in the first half! Can France find an equalizer in the second half, or is Spain going to advance to its first final since it won it all in 2010?
HT: That will do it for the half, which — fittingly — ended with a Dembélé miss well wide of the near post! At the end of the half, it’s Spain 1, France 0, with La Roja putting one of their five shots (0.99 xG) on target and Les Bleus missing the target with both of theirs (0.04 xG). Spain is now -205 to advance to the final!
45’+5: Of all of France’s stars, this really hasn’t been the greatest game for Ousmane Dembélé. He’s had a crucial, chance-ending turnovers in the past few minutes. Les Bleus will have to make sure he settles into his rhythm in the second half. Mbappé hasn’t done much, either.
45’+2: Another great defensive sequence from Spain there, with Marc Cucurella winning a critical foul! Les Bleus have had their chances, but so far La Roja’s back line has been completely impenetrable.
42′: He was onside that time! Adrien Rabiot sent it forward, and Unai Simón had to make a great sliding clearance a good 40 yards outside the box to deny Mbappé the ball in a dangerous position!
41′: Kylian Mbappé has now been caught offside for the second time in the last three minutes! Good aggression from Les Bleus, but they just haven’t been quite as precise against this ultra-disciplined La Roja defense.
38′: DAYOT UPAMECANO JUST SAVED FRANCE! MIKE MAIGNAN TURNED IT OVER AFTER A HIGH PRESS, AND AFTER SOME NIFTY PASSES BY SPAIN, UPAMECANO JUST BLOCKED FABIAN RUIZ FROM POINT-BLANK RANGE!
36′: That was the best chance so far from France! Ousmane Dembélé found Bradley Barcola down the left flank, and he cut it back and shot well over the bar.
34′: La Roja’s first shot from open play wasn’t exactly good, as Dani Olmo shot one from well beyond the box that sailed way over the bar.
31′: Now, Marc Cucurella has picked up a yellow card after an aggressive tackle along the sideline against Michael Olise. It was Spain’s first foul, but it was a rough one, and Olise is now hobbling slightly.
29′: Uh oh, that’s not good at all for France. William Saliba went down with a non-contact injury, and it looks like he’ll be replaced by Maxence La Croix. The Arsenal man is one of the best center-backs in the world and has played every minute in each of his starts. He’s walking, at least, but his afternoon is done.
28′: France, now trailing for the first time all tournament, has turned up the tempo after the restart. Les Bleus have been pressing aggressively, playing through their star man Kylian Mbappé!
24′: It’s time for the hydration break! Les Bleus have produced the only shot from open play, but of course, Oyarzabal’s penalty is the difference!
22′: NEVER IN DOUBT! MIKE MAIGNAN GUESSED THE RIGHT WAY, BUT OYARZABAL’S SHOT TO HIS RIGHT HAD TOO MUCH POWER, AND WENT OVER MAIGNAN’S OUTSTRETCHED HAND! SPAIN HAS ONE FOOT IN THIS FINAL, AND OYARZABAL IS NOW ON FIVE GOALS FOR THE TOURNAMENT! WHAT A TREMENDOUS TOURNAMENT THIS HAS BEEN FOR THE REAL SOCIEDAD MAN!
22′: Actually, no. It will be Mikel Oyarzabal, not Yamal, taking the penalty!
20′: SPEAKING OF FRANCE’S WEAK WING-BACKS, LUCAS DIGNE HAS JUST COMMITTED A FOUL AND GIFTED SPAIN A PENALTY! HE WENT IN TOO HIGH ON A CHALLENGE ON YAMAL AND STRUCK HIM ON THE HIP, SENDING HIM TUMBLING TO THE TURF INSIDE THE BOX! YAMAL WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO PUT SPAIN AHEAD!
18′: A promising-looking through ball ahead to Marc Cucurella ended up going too far and out of play, but that’s been a hallmark of Spain’s attack this tournament, sending the wing-backs ahead of the wingers. Given Cucurella’s performance so far this tournament (two assists against Austria) and France’s comparative weakness in the wing-back positions, that’s a pathway to success for La Roja!
16′: What tremendous defending by Pau Cubarsí! Dembélé delivered a gorgeous ball over the top to a streaking Mbappé, only for him to be denied! Mbappé slowed down before getting it to Olise, who was blocked by Cubarsí!
13′: A rare miscommunication there between Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, who have had such remarkable chemistry throughout this tournament. Mbappé tried to send a switch forward to Dembélé, but it was way too far in front of him and sailed beyond the end line for a goal kick.
11′: It wasn’t Lamine Yamal who took the shot but Álex Baena, and Baena hit the wall! The youngster was a decoy there! That was the first shot of the match.
9′: What a quick tempo the last few minutes have had! Turnovers by Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise in quick succession, and now a foul against Dani Olmo just outside the top right corner of the 18-yard box! Spain will have a free kick in a brilliant position, and Adrien Rabiot has picked up a yellow card!
6′: France has won the first corner of the game! That chance arose quickly off of a counter-attacking opportunity, a sign of how quickly Les Bleus can turn the tide!
3′: So far, Spain has had the majority of the ball, as Les Bleus have had a couple of uncharacteristically sloppy turnovers. Of course, it’s not worth reading too much into the first three minutes of the match.
1′: WE’RE UNDERWAY IN DALLAS! FRANCE AND SPAIN HAVE TAKEN THE PITCH, AND LA ROJA WILL START WITH POSSESSION! THIS SHOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE BLOCKBUSTER!
Additional World Cup Coverage
For additional World Cup coverage from the DraftKings Network, check out the World Cup landing page here:
- 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule: France vs. Spain Semifinal Preview, Game Time
- Best Lamine Yamal Prop Bet for France vs. Spain on Tuesday 7/14/26
- World Cup Best Bets Today: Top Expert Betting Picks for France vs. Spain on Tuesday 7/14/26
- France vs. Spain prediction, pick for Tuesday 7/14/26
NOTE: Prop bet rulings are subject to official scoring and could change after the match.
