Spain held tall when it meant most, defeating France 2-0 at Dallas Stadium to go to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. With unyielding defensive discipline and clinical execution, La Roja put an end to France’s bid for a third consecutive appearance in football’s grandest final.
Spain controlled the pace of the game from midfield, successfully neutralising Kylian Mbappé and securing their place in the final on Sunday. During the first 45 minutes, Spain established territorial control and dictated the pace owing to Rodri’s central coordination. The pressure paid off in the 22nd minute, when Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to step up and easily flick the spot kick into the top right corner for his fifth goal of the tournament. France’s woes were exacerbated in the 29th minute when defensive stalwart William Saliba was pulled off due to an injury and replaced by Maxence Lacroix.
Despite a late burst of pressure in which Unai Simón had to deny Mbappé, Spain went into the locker room with a justified 1-0 advantage, confounding a French side that had received an early caution from Adrien Rabiot.
Didier Deschamps, desperate for an equaliser, replaced Rabiot with Manu Koné before halftime, but Spain scored early in the second half. Right-back Pedro Porro produced a fantastic goal in the 58th minute to increase Spain’s lead, capitalising on the nation’s physical superiority. Spain’s solid defence, commanded by Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte, consistently blocked France’s efforts to pursue the game, despite the addition of Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki. A late yellow card to a clearly angry Mbappé in the 86th minute summed up France’s evening, as La Roja expertly finished off the match in 7 minutes of added time to secure a stunning 2-0 win.
Now then, the reigning European champions will meet the winner of the second semi-final between England and Argentina on Sunday.
