Spain moved within one victory of reclaiming the FIFA World Cup title after defeating France 2-0 in the 2026 semi-final, securing only their second appearance in a World Cup final.
The victory in Arlington keeps alive La Roja’s dream of lifting the trophy for the second time since their historic triumph in 2010, while ending France’s bid to reach a third consecutive World Cup final.
Spain dominated possession from the opening whistle, controlling the tempo of the match as Kylian Mbappe’s France struggled to establish any rhythm despite creating occasional opportunities on the counter-attack.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when teenage star Lamine Yamal won possession from Lucas Digne before being brought down inside the penalty area. Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the resulting spot-kick to hand Spain a deserved lead.
France suffered another setback when centre-back William Saliba was forced off with an injury shortly after the first-half cooling break, disrupting Didier Deschamps’ defensive plans.
Les Bleus pushed for an equaliser through Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Mbappe, but Spain’s disciplined defence, marshalled by Aymeric Laporte, together with the assured goalkeeping of Unai Simon, kept the French attack at bay.
Deschamps introduced Manu Kone at the start of the second half before sending on Desire Doue in the 57th minute in an attempt to change the game’s momentum, but the substitutions failed to spark a comeback.
Instead, Spain doubled their advantage a minute later when Pedro Porro exchanged passes with Dani Olmo before coolly slotting the ball past Mike Maignan to put the result beyond doubt.
France continued to press until the final whistle but were unable to break down Spain’s organised backline, as La Roja sealed a deserved place in Sunday’s World Cup final.
Spain will now face the winner of the second semi-final between England and Argentina, which takes place in Atlanta, with the final set to be played in New Jersey.
