France vs. Spain: World Cup Semifinal Lineup Predictions

Charlie Zschau Updated: 13 hours ago

France play Spain in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, July 14th at 1:00 PM ET.

The talented France national team are the highest scorers at the tournament thus far having netted 16 goals in six matches, but it's their run of three consecutive clean sheets that will be of great encouragement to Didier Deschamps.

Spain were given a rude awakening in their opening match of the World Cup as they were held to a goalless draw against debutants Cape Verde, but the reigning European champions have grown into the tournament with their strong defensive foundations.

2026 World Cup Bracket as of the Semifinals, featuring France vs. Spain and England vs. Argentina.

France's Predicted Lineup

Coach: Didier Deschamps
Formation: 4-2-3-1

		ST Kylian Mbappe

LW Desire Doue		AM Michael Olise		RW Ousmane Dembele

	CM Adrien Rabiot		CM Kouadio Kone

LB Lucas Digne				RB Jules Kounde
	CB William Saliba		CB Dayot Upamecano
		GK Mike Maignan

Didier Deschamps will likely use the same lineup that started against Morocco in the quarterfinals. The only positions the French manager could opt to change are central midfield and the left wing.

Désiré Doué is excellent on the left, but so is his PSG teammate Bradley Barcola. Barcola is quicker than Doué, making him a great option to bring off the bench, while Doué is slightly better with the ball at his feet.

Midfield is the weakest part of this French team, but Kouadio Koné has paired nicely with Adrien Rabiot in the last few games. Aurélien Tchouaméni is the other option if Deschamps wants a slightly more physical midfield duo.

Spain's Predicted Lineup

Coach: Luis de la Fuente
Formation: 4-2-3-1

		ST Mikel Oyarzabel

LW Alex Baena		AM Dani Olmo		RW Lamine Yamal

	CM Pedri		CM Rodri

LB Marc Cucurella				RB Pedro Porro
	CB Aymeric Laporte		CB Pau Cubarsi
		GK Unai Simon

Much like France, central midfield and the left wing are the positions with the least stability, though Spain have multiple excellent midfielders to choose from.

Fabián Ruiz started alongside Rodri in the quarterfinal against Belgium, but Pedri could take his place if Luis de la Fuente wants to dominate possession against France.

Álex Baena has been the main choice on the left wing so far in the tournament, and he will likely keep his starting role against France. However, Nico Williams will be eager to make an impact from the bench and could be introduced as early as half-time if Baena is not effective against Jules Koundé. Williams would likely have started every match of the tournament, but a muscle injury forced him to miss several games.