How to watch the France vs. Spain FIFA World Cup semifinal: TV channel, streaming and kickoff time
The final FIFA Men's World Cup match at Dallas Stadium is set to begin at 2 p.m. CT on Tuesday, as France and Spain take the pitch with a spot in the finals on the line.
Kylian Mbappe and France haven't trailed at all in this year's World Cup. Neither has Spain with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and clutch goal-scoring substitute Mikel Merino.
Only one of those teams can make it to the final. The winner will face the winner of Argentina and England, which play Wednesday in Atlanta, for the trophy on July 19 in New Jersey. The two semifinal losers will meet in the 3rd place match in Miami on July 18.
France and Spain, both at their 17th World Cup, have met only once previously on soccer's biggest stage. In their only previous World Cup match, France beat Spain 3-1 in a round of 16 game at the 2006 tournament in Germany. Both teams have won the World Cup since then. Spain claimed its only title in 2010, and France won its second World Cup in 2018.
How to watch France vs. Spain
- Where: Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, Texas
- When: 2 p.m. CT
- On TV: FOX and Telemundo (Spanish language)
- Streaming: FOX One and Peacock (Spanish Language)
What's at stake for France
After entering this tournament as FIFA's top-ranked team, France has outscored its opponents 14-2. Mbappe, the 2022 Golden Boot winner, has eight goals to match Lionel Messi for the scoring lead this time, and is one behind the Argentina captain's career record of 21 at the World Cup.
"We are confident, of course, with the course we have done so far, and we have to be," France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said. "But always with this humility that has characterized us since the beginning of the competition."
The 27-year-old Mbappe has 20 goals in his 20 World Cup matches, including one in the 2018 win over Croatia when he joined Pele as the only teenagers to score in a World Cup final. Coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappé is fine physically after exiting in the 77th minute of Les Bleus' quarterfinal win over Morocco after scoring a goal.
What's at stake for Spain
Spain has outscored opponents 10-1 since a scoreless draw against surprising Cape Verde to open group play, but La Roja got late decisive goals from Merino as a late substitute in the past two games. And goaltender Unai Simon set a World Cup record of 650 minutes without allowing a goal until Belgium scored in the 41st minute of their quarterfinal game.
"I think that from the first game until today, the team needed to catch the rhythm, we had been without seeing each other for a long time," Spain midfielder Alex Baena said, adding that with more games and practices "the better the team has been."
Merino scored in the 88th minute for that 2-1 win over Belgium on Friday. That came after the Arsenal forward's goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time for the 1-0 win over Portugal in the round of 16.
Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday, has only one goal while putting 10 shots on target after coming into this World Cup still nursing a left hamstring issue. He missed the final weeks of the season for Spanish club Barcelona.
