Immaculate Spain produced another commanding display to defeat France 2-0 at Dallas Stadium and book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The reigning European champions controlled the semi-final from start to finish and will now face either England or Argentina on Sunday as they chase a second World Cup title.
The victory also continued Spain’s remarkable dominance over France in recent years. It marked the 11th meeting between teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe for club and country, with Yamal now winning eight of those encounters.
Both nations entered the semi-final without trailing for a single minute throughout the 2026 World Cup, while Spain had spent just 4.5 percent of their playing time behind across the last two editions of the tournament. That made the opening goal even more significant.
Spain earned a golden opportunity in the 20th minute after Marc Cucurella floated a deep cross into the penalty area. Lucas Digne controlled the ball with his chest before attempting to clear, but Yamal bravely stepped in and took the full force of the defender’s clearance. The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot.
Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake two minutes later. The Real Sociedad forward confidently fired a powerful left footed penalty into the top right corner despite Mike Maignan diving the right way to hand Spain a deserved 1-0 lead.
The penalty also saw Yamal make more World Cup history. At 19 years and one day old, he became the third youngest player since 1966 to win a penalty in a World Cup match behind Michael Owen in 1998 and Dmitri Sychev in 2002.
France struggled to impose themselves as Spain continued to dominate possession. In the 35th minute, Alex Baena thought he had broken through after Dayot Upamecano misjudged a long pass from Unai Simon, but the offside flag denied the Spaniard before he could test Maignan.
Spain came even closer three minutes later after Maignan gifted possession away with a poor pass. The ball eventually reached Dani Olmo, whose clever backheel released Yamal inside the box. The winger squared perfectly for Fabian Ruiz, but Upamecano recovered brilliantly with a last ditch challenge to prevent a certain second goal.
France nearly found an equaliser just before half-time when Jules Kounde delivered an inviting cross into the six yard area, but the ball stayed just beyond Mbappe’s reach as Spain protected their narrow advantage heading into the interval.
Spain returned after the break with the same authority and doubled their lead in the 58th minute. Olmo initially wasted a promising counter attack after failing to release Oyarzabal, but the move stayed alive. Pedro Porro exchanged a clever one two with Olmo before calmly side footing his finish beyond Maignan to make it 2-0.
Porro’s strike placed him in elite company as he became only the second Spanish defender after Fernando Hierro to score multiple goals in a single World Cup tournament.
Yamal thought he had added a third just three minutes later after cutting inside Digne and curling a superb finish into the top corner. However, celebrations were cut short as the assistant referee flagged him offside by the narrowest of margins.
France briefly threatened a comeback in the 67th minute when Mbappe created space inside the area and fired towards goal, but Cucurella produced another crucial block to divert the effort behind for a corner.
Spain continued to create chances as Baena floated a cross into the box in the 79th minute, only for Ferran Torres to guide his header narrowly wide of the post.
France’s frustrations grew with time running out. Their supporters almost celebrated in the 81st minute after Unai Simon rushed off his line and misjudged a header, but the Spain goalkeeper recovered brilliantly to deny Desire Doue before any damage could be done.
Deep into stoppage time, Ousmane Dembele finally managed to create a shooting opportunity after cutting in from the right, but his effort went straight into the hands of Simon.
Throughout the tournament, many wondered which team could stop France. Spain answered that question emphatically with a tactical masterclass built on composure, intelligent possession and defensive discipline. They completely nullified Didier Deschamps dangerous attack while controlling the rhythm of the game from the opening whistle.
When the final whistle sounded, Spain celebrated a place in only their second World Cup final after their historic triumph in 2010. The reigning European champions now stand one victory away from lifting football’s biggest prize once again.
France, meanwhile, must regroup quickly as they prepare for Saturday’s third place playoff in what will be a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive campaign.
As BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Chris Sutton summed it up: “Spain scalped France. They flattened France. We have given France so much praise in this tournament, but they were swatted aside by silky Spain. They played the French off the park.”
