From The Sports Desk: Spain, France meet in star-studded World Cup semifinal

World CupFrom The Sports Desk: Spain, France meet in star-studded World Cup semifinalSpain’s teenage phenom Lamine Yamal has only scored once during this tournament. Will he rise to the occasion today against Kylian Mbappé and France? Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Lamine Yamal of Spain during the 2026 FIFA World Cup game against Belgium on July 10.Shaun Clark / ISI Photos via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 14, 2026, 10:26 AM EDTBy David HickeyFor the first time, FIFA’s top four teams have all made the World Cup semifinals, and not since 1990 has the final four been made up entirely of previous winners. Five of the tournament’s top six scorers will be in action.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It makes for two mouth-watering matchups over the next two days full of heated rivalries and intriguing subplots. The action kicks off this afternoon in Dallas with two European powerhouses, France vs. Spain. Tomorrow, England takes on Argentina in Atlanta.Our NBC News team will be live-blogging both games. Don’t miss out!World Cup PreviewLes Bleus vs La Roja. Free-flowing tournament favorites versus the tournament’s meanest defense. Attacking individual flair versus an obsession with possession. Expect France vs. Spain to be a cagey but compelling clash of styles.Spain was crowned World Cup champions for the only time in its history in 2010 but must first get past France, the 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up. The game just happens to fall on Bastille Day, as France is aiming to reach its third straight World Cup final. Will the fireworks be heard louder in Paris or Madrid tonight?Spain coach Luis de la Fuente will be desperately hoping star winger Lamine Yamal, who turned 19 yesterday, can find the sort of electric form that helped fire La Roja to the European title two years ago. Then, Yamal scored in the semifinal against France in a 2-1 win in Munich. “It’s undoubtedly the m...