Spain have reached the 2026 FIFA World Cup final after producing a dominant performance to defeat France 2-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The victory sends Spain to their first World Cup final since winning the tournament in 2010.
Spain took the lead in the 22nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted a penalty after Lamine Yamal was brought down in the box by Lucas Digne. The European champions doubled their advantage in the 58th minute, with Pedro Porro finishing a brilliant one-two move with Dani Olmo to leave France with a mountain to climb.
Although Yamal had a goal ruled out for offside, the 19-year-old was one of Spain’s standout performers, helping his side dominate possession and constantly trouble the French defence. Spain also produced another outstanding defensive display, limiting France’s star-studded attack led by Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise to very few clear chances. Goalkeeper Unai Simón recorded his sixth clean sheet of the tournament, setting a new World Cup record.
The defeat ended France’s bid to reach a third consecutive World Cup final, with coach Didier Deschamps admitting Spain were the better team on the night. Spain, meanwhile, extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 37 matches and remain on course to add the World Cup to their UEFA Euro 2024 triumph.
Spain will now face the winner of the second semi-final between England and Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, while France will compete in the third-place playoff.
