Watch: France v Spain semi-final highlights
Watch Spain's penalty
Spain pulled ahead just before the first drinks break, after winning a penalty when Lucas Digne kicked Lamine Yamal while trying to clear a ball in the box.
Oyarzabal converted with a shot into the right side, with France now having to chase a lead for the first time in this World Cup.
— Samantha Jonscher
Watch Spain's second goal
Pedro Porro doubled Spain's lead as they took full control against France.
— Samantha Jonscher
Drinks break
And we're off to a drinks break.
— Miles Proust
22' - Spain score
Oyarzabal scores with a strike to the right side of the net.
Maignan guesses the right side, but has no chance to get to it.
Spain lead 1-0. This is the first time at this World Cup France have had to chase a lead.
— Miles Proust
Fans are locking in
The 5am kick off has not been enough to ward off fans from both sides at a pub in St Kilda.
They are locked in.
— Samantha Jonscher
20' - Penalty Spain!
Penalty for Spain!
Digne misjudges a clearing header, spinning around to clear it but Yamal runs in to intercept.
Digne has no idea he's there, and catches Yamal with his boot, who goes down. The referee immediately points to the penalty spot.
Digne looks gutted. Mpabbe argues his case to the referee but it's a clear foul.
— Miles Proust
16'
France on the counter, with Dembélé playing a long ball to Mpabbe who is one-on-one with a Spainish defender,.
He takes a couple of touches, carrying into the box, but that allows Spain to get numbers behind the ball.
It's played off but the shot is blocked and France win a corner.
— Miles Proust
13'
Mpabbe tries to find Dembele with a diagonal pass to the right wing, but it has too much power and is out for a goal kick.
— Miles Proust
9'
Spain win a free from a dangerous spot on the edge of the box after Rabiot stands on Olmo's foot as the Spanish attacker tries to run into the box on the right side.
The cross hits the wall, with Spain unable to capitalise on the follow-up.
— Miles Proust
6'
France win the first corner of the game, with a run down the left flank by Barcola, whose cross is blocked.
The cross is whipped in high but is headed out of danger.
France are wearing their traditional blue, while Spain are in white.
— Miles Proust
Kick off!
The match is underway with Spain, kicking off.
— Miles Proust
Teams on pitch for national anthems
Both sides are on the pitch of Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the national anthems.
It's a full house in the 70,000-seater stadium, which has a retractable roof and air conditioning.
— Miles Proust
Clash of titans takes a turn
The buildup to one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament has been tainted by a comment from a former Spanish prime minister that leaders in both countries have condemned as racism.
— Samantha Jonscher
How you can watch the match
A reminder, you can watch the match live and free on SBS and SBS On Demand.
The winner of the match will play in the final next Monday (AEST) against either England or Argentina, who meet tomorrow in the other semi-final.
— Miles Proust
Both sides reveal starting XI
France has made two changes to the side that beat Morocco, with Bradley Barcola and Aurélien Tchouaméni starting for Les Bleus.
Desire Doue has dropped to the bench as Barcola joins Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and captain Kylian Mbappe in the French forward line.
Tchouaméni is back after missing France's last two games with an injury, partnering Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
Spain has made no changes to the side that beat Belgium.
Fabian Ruiz is being kept alongside Rodri and Dani Olmo in midfield, with Pedri again among the substitutes.
Alex Baena starts with Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal up front.
The team are on a 36-match unbeaten run heading into this match.
— Miles Proust
Welcome to our coverage
France v Spain is a battle of some of the world's best attackers, with French maestros Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé and Spanish legends Lamine Yamal and Mikel Merino likely to feature.
But it's also a battle of rock-solid defence, with Spain making it to the quarter-final before conceding a goal, and France only conceding two in six matches.
We will be covering all the action when the match kicks off at 5 AM AEST and you can watch live on SBS.
This World Cup has been epic, we're 100 matches down, now four to go.
Now we get to watch the world's number one (France) and three (Spain) go at it.
If you're tuning into the World Cup for the first time or keen for a refresher, we've got some handy guides:
- How to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 on SBS
- Football 101 explainer
- All the FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on our World Cup page
- Watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at our On Demand hub
— Madeleine Wedesweiler
