This Tuesday, the French national team will face Spain in the 2026 World Cup semi-final at 9:00 PM at the Dallas Stadium. Ahead of the match, Le Parisien and L’Équipe have attempted to predict the lineups that French manager Didier Deschamps and his Spanish counterpart Luis de la Fuente will field. The match involves six Paris Saint-Germain players: five for France (Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembélé) and one for Spain (Fabián Ruiz). Three of them are expected to start.
France (4-2-3-1) –
Mbappé
Doué – Olise – Dembélé
Rabiot – Tchouaméni
Digne – Saliba – Upamecano – Koundé
Maignan.
.
Spain (4-2-3-1) –
Oyarzabal
Baena – Olmo – Yamal
Rodri – Ruiz
Cucurella – Laporte – Cubarsí – Porro
Simón
These lineups are entirely plausible, as a preferred starting XI is taking shape for both sides. However, both squads are deep, offering additional options for the managers.
For Les Bleus, the World Cup campaign has been defined by the choice between Barcola and Doué—a decision balancing internal competition with the specific profile required for the opponent. We do not have the coaching staff’s analysis for this match, so the suspense remains. In midfield, Manu Koné might retain his spot rather than making way for Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is returning from a minor injury; however, nothing is certain.
On the Spanish side, the same positions are in question: Nico Williams or Álex Baena on the left wing, and Pedri or Ruiz in midfield alongside Rodri. In each case, we will have to wait for the official lineup announcement—roughly 90 minutes before kickoff—to know for sure.
