A dramatic late strike from Mikel Merino sent Spain into the World Cup semi-finals with a 2–1 victory over Belgium in Los Angeles on Saturday, setting up a meeting with France. The Spanish had dominated for long stretches at the Los Angeles Stadium and went ahead through Fabián Ruiz on the half-hour, but Charles De Ketelaere’s header from Timothy Castagne’s cross levelled before the break. Just as the quarter-final seemed headed for extra time, Merino struck in the closing minutes to extend Spain’s unbeaten run to 36 matches and keep alive hopes of a first World Cup crown since 2010.

Three days earlier, Didier Deschamps’s France had cast aside Morocco 2–0 in Foxborough with a performance that showcased their attacking riches. Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise repeatedly unpicked the Moroccan defence, while Deschamps’s decision to omit the young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi — who chose Morocco over France — was vindicated as the 18-year-old struggled against the French press. The win was Deschamps’s 20th in 25 World Cup matches at the helm and equalled Helmut Schön’s mark of three consecutive semi-final appearances (2018, 2022, 2026). The 57-year-old will leave his post after the tournament, ending a 14-year tenure that has yielded one title and one final.

In the other dugout, Luis de la Fuente has crafted a different narrative since taking over the senior side in 2022. He previously coached many of his current players through Spain’s Under-19, Under-21 and Olympic teams, forging bonds that players describe as familial. “The coach is the first to remind us how important every player is, from the first to the last,” Nico Williams said after the Belgium victory. This semi-final is the third meeting between the two coaches in a major tournament knockout tie, and the record favours De la Fuente: Spain beat France 2–1 in the Euro 2024 semi-finals and prevailed 5–4 in a Nations League semi-final the following year. “We are the only team to have beaten them twice,” De la Fuente noted after the quarter-final.

The semi-final in Dallas pits France’s tournament-leading attack, which has produced 13 goals and drawn comparisons with Brazil’s 1970 side in South American media, against a Spanish defence that has conceded only three times in six matches. Deschamps has at his disposal a forward line of Mbappé — now captain — Dembélé, Olise and the emerging Désiré Doué or Bradley Barcola, a unit that blends pace, trickery and an intimidation factor that has forced opponents into tactical adjustments. Spain, by contrast, rely on collective fluency and a deep-rooted belief that their record against the French gives them a psychological edge. The winners will face either Argentina or England for the trophy.