FRA vs ESP FIFA World Cup LIVE: Spain beat France 2-0 to move to FIFA World Cup 2026 final

Spain beat France 2-0 in the semi-final to qualify for the final. What a night for them. They will play the winner of England vs Argentina. 

Dembele finally showed signs of Dembele. He hit a shot on target, but comfortable for Simon. 

Spain enjoyed another shot at target, but missed it. The ball went for a goal kick. 

Cucurella certainly denied a clear chance for France, who are finally showing some intent. Was they over confident before? 

France won a free kick at the edge of the box. Kylian Mbappe takes it and he shoots it over. Not today it seems for France. 

Kylian Mbappe has been booked for a foul on Unai Simon. The replay shows he didn't foul, but the card stands. Mbappe doesn't even complain. He is frustrated by the looks of it. 

Pedro Porro and Alex Baena are off for Spain. Nico Williams and Marcus Llorente replace them in the middle. Spain are only few minutes away from a spot in the finals. 

Unai Simon and Theo Hernandez collided, and the keeper is very hurt. He holds his face. 

Unai Simon was far away from his line when the ball fell to Doue. The French took some time to take a shot at the open goal, but he hit Simon only. What a chance wasted. 

Ferran Torres had a chance to make it 3-0, but he failed to head it on target. Terrific ball from the left wing. 

Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo walk out for Pedri and Mikel Merino. 

Lamine Yamal has sprinted back and fouled Kylian Mbappe to stop him. France win a free kick. They need to make it count. Time is running out. However, they failed to make anything meaningful out of it. 

Ferran Torres comes in place for Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored in the first half through a penalty won by Lamine Yamal. Spain not slowing down regarding their attacking approach. 

France being in Rayan Cherki and Theo Hernandez in place of Michael Olise and Lucas Digne. 

A hydration break has been called. Spain lead 2-0 at the moment. They are running the show in Dallas, with France struggling to make any sort of impact. Their defence has been rock solid and France need to be much superior in terms of creativity to find success. Looks unlikely at the moment. 

Mbappe finally enjoys a shot. It is deflcted wide for a corner. France take it shot, while Doue attempts a long-range shot. Didn't quite work. 

France just didn't turn up tonight. They are struggling to even play three passes in a row. Their midfield is non-existent and mostly depend on counters, despite being 2-0 down. 

Lamine Yamal made it 3-0 for France but it was ruled offside. France's defence is non-existent. Espeically after Saliba was forced to be subbed off. 

Spain have scored their second goal. Pedro Porro have given Spain a 2-0 lead in Dallas. They are closer and closer to the final. Dani Olmo found space for Porro inside the box, who was unmarked. It was so easy for him to finish and allow Spain take a 2-0 lead. 

Third change for France. Desire Doue comes in for Bradley Barcola. Obvious change. They need more creativity up front. 

France haven't been at their best. They have been extremely poor in the final third and that needs to change. Barcola tried to carry the ball again and it was once again Simon who dived and got control of the ball. Spain's defensive structure has been too good tonight. 

Mikel Oyarzabal shoot it wide from outside the box. Both teams are enjoyng shots from distance tonight, but none on target so far. 52 minutes on the clock and it remains 1-0 in favour of Spain. 

Maignan with fantastic save to deny Lamine. The flag, however, went up eventually. It was offside. Regardless, top effort from Maignan. He narrowed the gap, allowing no space to Lamine. 

It's once again a tug of war for the ball. Just like how the first half started. High intensity from both teams, with France looking more determined. 

France have made one change to the XI. Manu Kone has come in as the second half begins in Dallas. He replaced Rabiot. 

France clearly need to up their tempo. Their midfield have struggled so far. They can't afford that. Spain have been very strong defensively as France need to find some room. They lack creativity too. 

Spain head into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead after an impressive first-half display in Dallas.

Spain were awarded a penalty midway through the opening period when Lucas Digne’s reckless challenge on Lamine Yamal left the referee with little choice. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and emphatically fired his spot-kick beyond Mike Maignan.

France appeared shaken after falling behind for the first time at this tournament and their problems worsened when William Saliba was forced off through injury.

Spain came close to extending their advantage with a slick attacking move, but Fabian Ruiz dragged his effort wide from inside the penalty area.

Les Bleus have gone into the interval level on several occasions during this World Cup before producing much-improved second-half performances. The question now is whether they can mount another comeback.

What a poor shot from Dembele from inside the box. Spain managed to press well to keep him away as well. The referee has called for a break. Spain lead 1-0 at half-time and they should be pretty happy with how things have gone so far. Solid defensively and threatning in the attack. 

A commendable attack from France. Jules Kounde placed a phenomenal cross from the right flank, but Mbappe failed to reach the ball. Another chance went begging for France. 

France have been awarded a free kick after a foul by Fabian Ruiz. Replays show that Ruiz wasn't even close to committing a foul. The referee eventually reversed the decision. 

Kylian Mbappe was through, but he failed to get hold of the ball as Unai Simon arrived early and cleared. Shades of prime Manuel Neuer. France are not delivering at the moment as Spain's defence has been a force to reckon with. 

What a chance for Fabian Ruiz to give Spain a 2-0 lead. After a solid build-up, Lamine Yamal passed it to Fabian Ruiz in the box, but he failed to hit the target. Had it been on target, Spain could have easily gone 2-0 up. 

Spain countered after Barcola's effort. They kept the ball for a while before Pedro Porro attempted a shot. Well over the post. 

Bradley Barcola had a good chance to place a cross from the wing. However, he cut in and still didn't pass. Eventually, attempted a long-range effort and it's well over the post. 36 mins gone, Spain lead 1-0. 

Dani Olmo attempted a long-range effort but it went wide. France are clearly under pressure now and their attacking threat is missing. Spain are in complete control of the game. 

Marc Cucurella has been shown a yellow for a poor challenge on Michael Olise. Ousmane Dembele took the free kick, but regulation catch for Unai Simon. 

What a huge blow for France. William Saliba has been forced to sub off, with Lacroix replacing him in the middle. It's not clear what happened to Saliba, but he managed to walk off. Massive blow for France as they trail 1-0. 

A hydration break has been called. Spain take a lead against the run of play and most importantly, out of nowhere. Digne must be devastated. What a poor foul. He could have controlled the ball with the first touch, but failed to do so and while clearing it, he hit Lamine, who he didn't know was in sight. 

Mikel Oyarzabal scores from the spot kick. Spain go ahead in the 23rd minute of the game. Spain are ahead and are one step closer to a World Cup final. 

Lucas Digne brought Lamine Yamal down in the penalty box and it's a penalty for Spain. Very, very poor Digne, who didn't realise that the Spaniard was close to him. A basic error and Spain now have the chance to go 1-0 up. 

France offer an early reminder of their attacking threat as Michael Olise picks out Ousmane Dembele, who quickly feeds Kylian Mbappe. The France captain looks to weave his way through three Spanish defenders, but Spain recover well to force the ball behind for a corner, which they then clear with authority.

France built up two attacks, but both were ruined by poor long passes. They need to work on that and maybe play small passes as they lack creative players to play long balls. Spian once again got control of the ball and are keeping the possession. 

Alex Baena eventually took the free-kick and he hit the wall. Lamine then controlled the ball and placed a cross inside the box, but France managed to deal with the danger. It remains 0-0 after the first 10 minutes. 

Spain win a free-kick after a foul by Rabiot just outside the box. The midfielder has been shown a yellow. Perfect chance for Lamine to curl one in into the back of the net. What an opportunity. In a fully development, the free-kick got delayed as the referee forgot to carry his spray. 

France win the first corner of the night after a brilliant run from Barcola. He tried to place a cross, but it eventually went out for a corner. France failed to build anything meaningful through it. Rabiot eventually attempted for a long-range effort that went out. 

No team have looked comfortable with the ball so far. Both teams aim to hold the ball for the moment and build an attack. It hasn't been easy so far. The pressing game has been strong from both France and Spain. 

The game begins in Dallas. Spain kicks off the game. They are in their away kit, which is white and brown in colour, attacking from right to left on the screen. France, in their traditional blue, are attacking from left to right.

Both teams have gathered for a minute's silence for the attack in Nice 10 years ago. France President thanked FIFA President after the request was accepted. 

Historically, Lamine Yamal has the upper edge over Kylian Mbappe. Lamine has defeated Mbappe eight times so far, while the France captain has won only twice. With Real Madrid and France, of course. Lamine with Barcelona and Spain. 

France made two changes to the side that overcame Morocco in the quarterfinals, with Bradley Barcola and Aurelien Tchouameni replacing Desire Doue and Manu Kone in the starting lineup. Spain, meanwhile, stick with the same XI that defeated Belgium, while Pedri is fit enough to take his place on the bench.

The national anthems begin in Dallas. France, being the host team tonight begin the proceedings and Spain will follow. 

Both France and Spain players are out in the middle for the national anthems and eventually for the clash. Shakira's Dei Dei plays in the background. What a setting in Dallas. It's after all, the FIFA World Cup semi-final. 

The two nations have met 38 times. Spain have enjoyed the better record, winning 18 encounters, while France have claimed 13 victories and seven matches have ended all square. Their most recent clash came in the UEFA Nations League semifinal in Germany just over a year ago, when Spain edged France 5-4 in a thrilling encounter.

Spain have once again benched Pedri from the starting XI against France. It is purely a tactical call, as coach Luis de la Fonte played a similar move in the quarter-final against Belgium. He preferred Fabian Ruiz, who scored in the last game and his experience comes in handy in the final third as the PSG midfielder makes the late run in the box, which is vital in knockout games. Look at Jude Bellingham, for example. 

Spain secured top spot in Group H with seven points, collecting wins over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay while settling for a draw against Cape Verde. They carried that momentum into the knockout stages, cruising past Austria with a 3-0 victory in the Round of 32, edging Portugal 1-0 thanks to a late winner from Mikel Merino in a tense Iberian derby in the last 16, and then producing another late decisive moment to overcome Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

France cruised through Group I without dropping a point, securing victories over Norway, Senegal and Iraq. They continued their impressive run in the knockout stages, sweeping aside Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32, edging past a resilient Paraguay side 1-0 in the last 16 and booking their place in the semifinals with a commanding 2-0 triumph over Morocco.

Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Mikel Oyarzabal.

Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola; Kylian Mbappe.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026's first semi-final between France and Spain. Both teams are currently engaging in a light drill at the Dallas Stadium. We are less than 25 mins away before the high-voltage affair begins.