France – Spain

The best European national teams won't delight us with goals in the race to the final.

For the first time in the history of football, four national teams occupying the top four spots in FIFA's world rankings reached the semifinal stage of the World Cup. The two most successful European national teams of the last decade will face each other on one field in Arlington. Spain's national team arrived at the World Cup as the main favorite. The achievements of 'La Roja' in recent years include winning the continental championship and a runner-up finish in last year's UEFA Nations League. The Spaniards began the group stage with a disheartening draw against Cape Verde. Only later did it become known that no team at the 2026 World Cup would beat this African side in regulation time. The subsequent wins over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, with an aggregate score of 5-0, revived 'La Roja' and allowed them to take first place. Spain's playoff bracket was probably the hardest among all semifinalists of the tournament. If beating Austria in the Round of 16 went smoothly, the victories over Portugal and Belgium had to be snatched in the final minutes of the matches with the help of the 'magic substitute' Mikel Merino. Many experts call the Spain-France clash a premature final, but that seems unlikely when in the actual final the opponent of the winner will be Argentina or England. The French squad looks the most prepared for the World Cup. An insane attacking trio consisting of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, supplemented by other players (slightly less seasoned but also world-class), sweeps aside all opponents. Moreover, their opponents from the group stage through to the quarterfinals were different—from the frankly weak Iraq to strong Morocco. The thing is that Spain's opponents of that level have not yet faced Didier Deschamps and his charges. The last meeting between the teams took place in the Nations League. There was an incredible goal spree, culminating in Spain's 5-4 victory. Moreover, such a result is extraordinary. None of the numerous meetings between the two sides since 2006 have ended with more than three goals. Don't expect the same this time either.