- France vs Spain: Spain defeated France 2-0 to book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
- Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s advantage after the break at Dallas Stadium.
- Spain will face the winner of England vs Argentina in the final on Sunday, July 19, while France will meet the loser in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
For the first time in 16 years, Spain are back in the FIFA World Cup final after beating favourites France 2-0 on Tuesday night in Dallas to book their place in the 2026 decider at MetLife Stadium against either England or Argentina.
The last time La Roja reached the final was in 2010 in South Africa, where they went on to lift the trophy.
They now have another opportunity to claim world football’s biggest prize, this time on North American soil.
For Les Bleus, their hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final have come to an end.
They won the tournament in 2018 before finishing runners-up in Qatar in 2022, and they will now face the loser of the England-Argentina semifinal in Saturday’s third-place playoff.
Spain were the superior side throughout the contest, dictating the tempo from start to finish.
In the 21st minute, they earned a penalty after the Yamal versus Digne battle, which had looked like a favourable matchup for Spain all evening, finally paid off.
In a bizarre moment, Digne controlled the ball on his chest inside his own penalty area as he attempted to turn and clear it on the volley.
Yamal reacted first, and Digne caught him on the thigh, leaving little room for a VAR reprieve.
Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and calmly slotted home to give Spain the lead before the break, while France were fortunate to avoid a dangerous red card for Olise, allowing them to head into what promised to be an entertaining second half.
However, the second half failed to live up to that billing for Didier Deschamps’ men.
Spain remained in complete control, and in the end, it all looked too comfortable.
Pedro Porro played a neat pass into Dani Olmo, continued his run, and received the return ball.
France’s defence opened up, and Porro kept his composure to guide his finish beyond Mike Maignan and double Spain’s advantage, a goal that ultimately sealed the victory.
While it was the third semifinal meeting between these two football giants in all competitions, Spain once again asserted their dominance in the fixture.
France vs Spain 2026 FIFA World semifinal lineups
- France starting XI: Mike Maignan, Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne, Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Kylian Mbappe
- France substitutes: Brice Samba, Robin Risser, Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Kone, N’Golo Kante, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche, Marcus Thuram, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta
- Spain starting XI: Unai Simon, Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal
- Spain substitutes: David Raya, Joan Garcia, Marc Pubill, Alex Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Mikel Merino, Gavi, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Yeremy Pino, Nico Williams, Victor Munoz, Borja Iglesias
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026