France and Spain are set to meet in Tuesday’s first World Cup semi-final, and the headline battle is clear: Kylian Mbappe is arriving in the kind of form that makes any defence uneasy. He has scored eight goals and found the net in five of his six appearances, while France and Spain both come in with strong tournament cases behind them.
There is also a betting angle around the game, with LiveScore Bet promoting a new-member offer on Paddy Power that gives two £10 free bets and two £5 Bet builder free bets. It adds another layer of interest to a semi-final that already carries plenty of weight after the two sides produced a 5-4 Nations League classic in Stuttgart last summer.
Mbappe remains the central threat
The France captain has been the defining figure in their run to the last four. France have scored 16 goals in the tournament, and Mbappe’s contribution has been a major reason why they have reached this stage looking dangerous in the final third.
That is not just about finishing. It is also about the timing of his goals and the confidence he brings to a side that have already gone through a tense route. Before the tournament began, France had conceded in five successive games, and even in the group stages they were breached against Senegal and a heavily rotated Norway side. Paraguay’s shenanigans then put their winning run under threat in the round of 16, before France responded with a 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco.
Spain’s discipline makes this a proper semi-final
Spain have arrived with a different kind of authority. Last summer they beat France 5-4 in that Uefa Nations League semi-final, and less than a year later they won another semi-final on their way to the Euro 2024 title. That gives Luis de la Fuente’s side a strong recent record in these high-pressure knockout matches.
They have also been difficult to break down. Spain kept a clean-sheet run going until Unai Simon conceded against Belgium in Los Angeles, and they have allowed only seven shots on target in the tournament. Those numbers suggest a team with real control, even before you factor in the confidence of having already been through the biggest knockout tests.
The question is whether France can break Spain down
This feels like a meeting of two sides who know exactly what they are doing. France have the firepower, Spain have the structure, and the semi-final could turn on which side imposes its identity for longer.
For France, Mbappe will be the obvious reference point. For Spain, the task is to keep him contained without losing the balance that has carried them this far. If they can do that, the game could follow the pattern of a tight semi-final. If not, France’s attacking edge may be enough to take them through.
Either way, it is a fitting first World Cup semi-final: two in-form European sides, one major individual threat, and a place in the final on the line.
