Tonight the WC 2026 match schedule in Kyiv time comes down to one game — and what a game it is: France vs Spain, the first semi-final of the 2026 World Cup. Kick-off at 22:00 Kyiv time at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The winner advances to the final on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey; the loser will play the third-place match on 18 July in Miami.
Today's schedule
- 22:00 Kyiv time. France vs Spain (Semi-final #1, AT&T Stadium, Dallas/Arlington)
This is the only match in the 14–15 July window before 08:00 Kyiv time. The next big match — England vs Argentina — takes place tomorrow, 15 July, also at 22:00 Kyiv time in Atlanta. The full schedule for both semi-finals and details on the matchups are available in our previous article.
France vs Spain: what's at stake
Both sides were considered the top contenders even before the tournament began — and both have lived up to expectations. France boasts the tournament's most potent attack: Kylian Mbappé has scored 8 goals in 5 matches and shares the lead in the Golden Boot race with Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembélé has added 5 goals, and Michael Olise leads in assists with 5. Spain, by contrast, stands out defensively: La Roja have conceded just 1 goal in 6 matches — against Belgium in the quarter-finals.
For Spain, this is only their second semi-final appearance in World Cup history since their triumph in 2010. For France, it is a chance to become only the third team in history to reach three consecutive finals (after Brazil 1994–2002 and West Germany 1982–1990). Head-to-head history favours the Spanish: 18 wins to 13 French victories in 38 meetings. The most recent clash was the 2025 Nations League semi-final, where Spain thrashed France 5–4 with a brace from Yamal.
Team news and star duels
The biggest question ahead of kick-off is the fitness of Kylian Mbappé: in the quarter-final against Morocco he left the pitch on the 77th minute with an ankle injury. However, coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Monday that the star will be "100%" ready to play. There are doubts over defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni (muscle problem), as well as defenders Upamecano and Saliba, who missed Saturday's training session due to back injuries.
On the Spanish side, Lamine Yamal turns 19 today. He has scored just 1 goal in this tournament, but coach Luis de la Fuente believes: "Lamine's big day at this World Cup is still to come." Spain's expected line-up: Simón; Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal. France are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Theo Hernández; Tchouaméni/Rabiot; Dembélé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé. All line-ups are provisional — the official ones will be released one hour before kick-off.
The tactical contrast is clear: Spain will control possession through Rodri and Pedri, while France will sit back and look to exploit Mbappé's pace on the counter. Previous meetings between these sides rarely end with more than a one-goal margin — and this match promises to be no different. If it's level after 90 minutes, the game goes to extra time and a penalty shoot-out.
All group-stage matches in Kyiv time — and how to convert ET to Kyiv time
A reminder: all WC 2026 matches in the USA are played in Eastern Time (ET, UTC−4). To get Kyiv time, add 7 hours to ET. Today's kick-off at 15:00 ET = 22:00 Kyiv time. The full WC 2026 match schedule in Kyiv time with all converted times is available on our schedule page.
Match results will be published in the evening edition of "Night Mundial" immediately after the final whistle, and a full analysis of both semi-finals will appear in the morning digest on 15 July. Don't miss our article covering both semi-finals this week.
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Photo: via bracketmundial2026.com · Editorial (source)
