Key keywords: France vs Spain World Cup Semifinals, 2026 FIFA World Cup opening odds, pre-match sports betting odds, Les Bleus semifinal betting lines, La Roja World Cup performance odds, World Cup semifinal betting markets, European football powerhouse head-to-head odds, first goal scorer special odds Leading global bookmakers including Bet365, William Hill and DraftKings officially released the opening betting odds for the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal clash between France and Spain on Wednesday, drawing massive traffic to global sports betting platforms within hours of the announcement. The opening line places defending champion France as the slight favorite, with odds of 1.80 for a win in regular 90-minute play, while Spain’s regular-time win odds sit at 2.15, and the odds for a draw after 90 minutes are listed at 3.40. The narrow gap between the two sides’ odds reflects the evenly matched strength of the two UEFA giants, who have both delivered dominant performances through the first four stages of the tournament. France topped Group D with three straight wins, conceding only one goal in the group stage, before edging out Morocco 2-1 in the round of 16 and crushing 2022 runner-up England 3-0 in the quarterfinals, with star forward Kylian Mbappé scoring 6 goals across the tournament so far to lead the golden boot race. Spain, meanwhile, finished top of Group B with two wins and one draw, beating 2022 third-place finisher Croatia 1-0 in the round of 16 and defeating the Netherlands 2-1 after extra time in the quarterfinals, with their midfield trio of Pedri, Gavi and Rodri recording an average pass completion rate of 92% through the tournament, the highest of any remaining team. Bookmaker data shows that as of Wednesday evening, 62% of pre-match bets placed on the regular-time result have gone to France, while 31% have been placed on Spain, with the remaining 7% on a draw. Special odds for the match have also drawn heavy attention: Mbappé leads the first-goal scorer market at 3.75, while Spain’s teenage winger Lamine Yamal follows closely at 4.20. The odds for France to win the match after extra time or penalties sit at 4.50, while Spain’s odds to win via extra time or penalties are listed at 5.00. Bet365’s chief football analyst James Richardson noted in a public statement that the opening odds are the narrowest for any World Cup semifinal in the past 20 years, as both sides have almost no obvious weaknesses, and odds are expected to fluctuate significantly in the 72 hours leading up to the match as team lineups and injury updates are released.