Why Is N'Golo Kanté Not Playing Today for France vs. Spain in the World Cup Semifinal?

France's opponent in the 2026 World Cup semifinal is Spain, as they are one win away from reaching their third consecutive World Cup final.

France is the favorite ahead of the July 14 matchup and remains the only team to win all of their games in the 2026 World Cup in 90 minutes.

For the game against Spain, France head coach Didier Deschamps made a few changes to the lineup from the one used against Morocco. However, the lineup once again does not include legendary midfielder N'Golo Kanté.

Kanté has yet to make an appearance for France in this World Cup, but has been available for most games on the bench.

Is N'Golo Kanté Injured?

N'Golo Kanté is not injured and is available to play for France against Spain in the 2026 World Cup semifinal.

Kanté has not been given the opportunity to play in the France midfield for the 2026 World Cup, despite the team losing Aurélien Tchouaméni due to injury. The first backup option has been Kouadio "Manu" Koné.

Koné has started in four games for France in the 2026 tournament and has been one of the most important players on the team. For the match against Morocco, Koné was taken off but was replaced by Warren Zaire-Emery, not Kanté.

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 11:46 AM.