The UEFA Euro 2024 semifinals are here this midweek with Spain vs. France on Tuesday and the Netherlands vs. England on Wednesday. This is a star-studded final four with a mouthwatering final coming up on Sunday but first we need to know who is going all the way to Berlin. The Spanish and the French are first up with Luis de la Fuente's side out to make Euro history with their strong run of form while Didier Deschamps' men are looking to bludgeon their way into another final after evening their 2016 heartache against Portugal in the quarterfinals. The Dutch are growing into the tournament and are now starting to look the part after seeing off Türkiye while the English are yet to truly get going but showed grit to edge past Switzerland in the last eight and will now be targeting a second consecutive Euro final after their 2020 edition loss to Italy. Who will advance? Whatever happens, both sets of sides are in this for at least two games now with either a final or a third-placed playoff to follow the semifinals.
With two mammoth matchups to look forward to, this is what you need to be keeping an eye on.
Semifinal schedule and how to watch
All times U.S./Eastern
Tuesday, July 9
Spain vs. France, 3 p.m. (Fox)
Wednesday, July 10
Netherlands vs. England, 3 p.m. (Fox)
Spain vs. France, July 9, Munich
Spain's 100% winning run: No side has ever won six consecutive games at a Euro or six games overall in a tournament so La Roja going to the final would write a new page of history for this continental competition. After a convincing Group B campaign ahead of Italy, Croatia and Albania, Georgia and then Germany followed, with the host nation the first team to deny the Spanish over 90 minutes. Now that has been navigated, the big challenge for De la Fuente and his players will be overcoming key absences such as Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand and Pedri with the latter missing the final injured regardless of this result. Could we be about to witness a new era of greatness from Spain, or will France notch what many feel to be a long overdue Euro title? This matchup promises to be anything but boring with this arguably the biggest battle of totally opposite styles which are so far headed for success in Germany.
France's stingy defense: With just one goal conceded all tournament, Les Bleus are going for efficiency that their host nation would be proud of. With just two wins, three draws and one penalty shootout success across Group D behind Austria but ahead of the Netherlands and then Belgium as well as Portugal, Deschamps is taking no prisoners with his success at all costs approach. Can the French make it to the final without Kylian Mbappe and his teammates finally rediscovering their scoring form, though? How the Real Madrid-man handles this semifinal could be a key deciding factor on top of Adrien Rabiot's return and the potential absence of Antoine Griezmann who could be dropped after a below-par tournament so far. Mike Maignan, William Saliva, Jules Kounde, Theo Hernandez and Dayot Upamecano are writing themselves into the history books but this French side also needs to be wary that such low-scoring numbers have not been seen since the 1960's.
Netherlands vs. England, July 10, Dortmund
Cody Gakpo's hot form: Denied a fourth tournament goal in the 2-1 win over Turkiye in the quarterfinals, the Liverpool man is one of four players on three goals for the tournament and he will hope to add to that against this English side. Gakpo plies his trade in England for Premier League giants Liverpool and the Orange star has enjoyed a breakout moment internationally despite a decent 2022 World Cup. How the 25-year-old rises to the challenge of being the main source of Dutch goals against a Three Lions side seemingly waiting to truly find their stride will be intriguing but Ronald Koeman's men are growing into this edition in a way that England are struggling to do so under Gareth Southgate so far. Obviously, it is. to all on Gasp's shoulders, so will his teammates be able to step up and alleviate some of the demands on the Reds star?
Harry Kane's goal struggles: Up against in-form Gakpo is increasingly ineffectual Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane who continues to struggle to not only score but to even impact many of England's games. He might have scored against Slovakia in the round of 16 but the quarterfinals vs. Switzerland was another frustrating episode as part of a larger tournament which has brought more problems that performances from the English captain. Like Jude Bellingham, he has come up big when needed, but he was not on the field as the Swiss were put to the sword and many are starting to question how crucial he really is which is similar to Mbappe and France. These semifinals could put those debates to bed with strong performances from below-par stars like Kane and the Real man but they are under more pressure than the likes of Gakpo who is thriving as part of the underdog team left in this tournament which further ups the stakes this midweek.