Mbappé confirmed to start as France meets Spain July 14

France will face Spain in a World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, July 14, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, with a spot in the final on the line. The match pits two of the tournament's most formidable teams, each boasting a perfect record of not having trailed an opponent during their run in the United States.

French captain Kylian Mbappé is confirmed to start after exiting the team's quarterfinal win over Morocco with what was described as a slight ankle injury. The 27-year-old striker has been in stellar form, scoring eight goals to share the tournament scoring lead with Argentina's Lionel Messi. Mbappé's 20 career World Cup goals place him just one behind Messi's all-time record of 21. France, FIFA's top-ranked team entering the tournament, has outscored opponents 14-2.

Spain's path has been defined by defensive solidity and late heroics. Goalkeeper Unai Simón set a World Cup record with 650 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal before Belgium scored in the quarterfinal. In that match and the prior round-of-16 victory over Portugal, substitute Mikel Merino scored decisive late goals after entering as a second-half substitute. Teenage forward Lamine Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday,...