Spain’s perfect run faces Italy’s historic test in U20 World Cup semi-final

Spain and Italy meet in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday, with both sides bidding to reach the final in Poland.

Kick-off is scheduled for 13:00 GMT at Stadion Miejski ?KS in ?odz.

Spain have won all five of their matches at the tournament and have scored 19 goals while conceding only once. Their latest victories came against Portugal in the last 16, where they won 2-0, and Brazil in the quarter-finals, with Pau Comendador scoring the only goal.

Comendador has now scored five times in the competition and leads the tournament’s goalscoring standings.

Italy, meanwhile, are enjoying the best run in their history at this level. The Azzurrine are back at the U20 World Cup for the first time in 14 years and have reached the semi-finals for the first time.

Their progress included a dramatic last-16 win over China. After a 1-1 draw, Italy prevailed 5-4 on penalties. They then produced an assured quarter-final display against the Republic of Korea, winning 3-1.

Karen Appiah was the standout performer in that match, scoring twice, while Paola Fadda added Italy’s third goal.

The semi-final therefore brings together a Spain side accustomed to competing in the latter stages and an Italy team appearing at this stage for the first time. Spain have now reached the semi-finals in three of the past four editions of the tournament.

Spain won the U20 World Cup in 2022, while Italy are seeking to extend their historic campaign in Poland with another landmark result.

The winners will face either the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or Colombia in the final.