FIFA World Cup 2026 France: Schedule, How to Watch, Semi Final, History & Record

The World Cup 2026 France campaign has reached the semi finals. Les Bleus meet Spain tonight, Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with kickoff at 9:00 PM CEST (3:00 PM ET). France have won all six matches so far, scoring 16 goals and conceding just 2, and stand two wins from a third title.

This is France’s 17th World Cup appearance and Didier Deschamps’ final tournament in charge. He took the job in July 2012, won the trophy in 2018, and steps down when this run ends. For the first time in World Cup history, the semi finals feature the top four teams in the FIFA ranking: Argentina, Spain, France, and England.

Kylian Mbappé leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and has 20 career World Cup goals, second all time behind Lionel Messi’s 21. Both have passed Miroslav Klose’s old record of 16. Mbappé took an ankle knock against Morocco but has been passed fit, with Deschamps confirming he “feels good.”

World Cup 2026 France Schedule and Results (Local Time)

France runs on Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is UTC+2. Every match so far has been in the eastern United States, six hours behind France; the semi final in Texas is seven hours behind.

ROUND	DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT / TIME	VENUE
Group I	Tue, June 16	Senegal	Won 3-1	New York New Jersey Stadium
Group I	Mon, June 22	Iraq	Won 3-0	Philadelphia Stadium
Group I	Fri, June 26	Norway	Won 4-1	Boston Stadium
Round of 32	Tue, June 30	Sweden	Won 3-0	New York New Jersey Stadium
Round of 16	Sat, July 4	Paraguay	Won 1-0	Philadelphia Stadium
Quarterfinal	Thu, July 9	Morocco	Won 2-0	Boston Stadium
Semi Final	Tue, July 14	Spain	9:00 PM CEST / 3:00 PM ET	Dallas Stadium

France topped Group I with a perfect record, eased past Sweden in the Round of 32, then ground out a 1-0 win over Paraguay through a Mbappé penalty.

In the quarterfinals, Mbappé (60′) and Ousmane Dembélé (66′) beat Morocco 2-0 in Boston.

The semi final winner faces England or Argentina in the final on Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium. The losers meet in the third-place match in Miami on July 18.

For every kickoff time, see the World Cup 2026 schedule.

France vs Spain: Semi Final Preview, Prediction and Key Players

Spain arrive as European champions and the tournament’s tightest defense, with one goal conceded in six matches. They beat Austria 3-0, Portugal 1-0, and Belgium 2-1, with Mikel Merino striking late again in the quarterfinal. Rodri and Pedri run the midfield, and Lamine Yamal is back from a hamstring issue.

Recent history favors Spain, who lead the head-to-head 18 wins to 13 and knocked France out of both Euro 2024 and the 2025 Nations League. Opta’s model still makes Les Bleus favorites, at 42.1 percent to win in normal time against Spain’s 31.8. Deschamps has fitness doubts over midfielders Manu Koné and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) captains the side with eight goals and 11 goal contributions, the most in a single World Cup since Gerd Müller’s 13 in 1970.

Ousmane Dembélé (PSG) has five goals, making the pair the first teammates with five plus each at one World Cup since Ronaldo and Rivaldo in 2002.

Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) leads the team with five assists, Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan) holds the line up, and Bradley Barcola (PSG) changes games off the bench. Deschamps’ compact 4-3-3 absorbs pressure and springs Mbappé and Dembélé into space; set pieces remain the one soft spot.

How to Watch the World Cup 2026 in France

M6 owns the free to air rights in France. It carries 54 matches, including the France vs Spain semi final and the final, with no subscription needed. For the first time in almost 50 years, TF1 holds no World Cup coverage. Check M6’s schedule for daily listings.

beIN Sports shows all 104 matches for subscribers, split across beIN Sports 1 and beIN Sports 2, with live streaming on beIN Sports Connect. The semi final airs on beIN Sports 1.

How to Stream the World Cup 2026 in France

PLATFORM	LANGUAGE	COST	NOTES
M6+	French	Free	M6’s app; every France match live
beIN Sports Connect	French	Subscription	All 104 matches for beIN customers
FIFA+	Multiple	Free	Selected matches on web, iOS, and Android

M6+ runs on phones, tablets, smart TVs, and browsers, the simplest free route inside France. French fans in the United States can watch the semi final on Fox in English or Telemundo in Spanish, with streaming on the FOX Sports App and Peacock.

How to Listen to the World Cup 2026 in France

RMC carries exclusive French radio rights to all 104 matches, free on FM and its digital streams, with no subscription needed. The network runs dedicated World Cup programming from a studio in New York, and its online stream gives French supporters abroad a free audio option for every game, including tonight’s semi final.

World Cup 2026 France History and Record

France sit in rare company. Eight nations have won the World Cup, and only six of them more than once. Les Bleus carried two titles, four final appearances, and 39 wins from 73 matches into their 17th tournament, and this semi final is their fifth in the last eight World Cups.

Titles and Finals

France won at home in 1998, beating Brazil 3-0 as Zinedine Zidane headed in twice and Emmanuel Petit added a late third. Twenty years on in Moscow, a teenage Mbappé helped sink Croatia 4-2 for a second star on the shirt.

The two final defeats still sting. Zidane’s headbutt on Marco Materazzi in 2006 ended in a red card and a shootout loss to Italy. Against Argentina in 2022, France clawed back from 2-0 down through a Mbappé hat trick, then lost on penalties.

Tournament Results

YEAR	HOST	RESULT
1930	Uruguay	Group stage
1934	Italy	Round of 16
1938	France	Quarterfinals
1954	Switzerland	Group stage
1958	Sweden	3rd place
1966	England	Group stage
1978	Argentina	Group stage
1982	Spain	4th place
1986	Mexico	3rd place
1998	France	Champions
2002	South Korea/Japan	Group stage
2006	Germany	Runners up
2010	South Africa	Group stage
2014	Brazil	Quarterfinals
2018	Russia	Champions
2022	Qatar	Runners up

Overall Record

APPEARANCES	PLAYED	WON	DRAWN	LOST	BEST FINISH
16 (17th in 2026)	73	39	14	20	Champions (1998, 2018)

The record above covers France’s 16 tournaments before 2026; add six straight wins for the current run. Just Fontaine’s 13 goals at the 1958 finals remain the most in a single World Cup. Mbappé now owns 20 career World Cup goals and the most match-winning goals in tournament history (8), while Deschamps stands with Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer as the only men to win the trophy as both player and manager.

France FIFA World Cup 2026 FAQs

World Cup 2026 France now comes down to knockout football at its sharpest: beat Spain in Dallas tonight, and only one match separates Les Bleus from a third star.

Mbappé is chasing Messi’s all-time record goal by goal, and Deschamps wants his farewell to end at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.