European champions Spain produced a dominant display to defeat world No. 1 France 2-0 in the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at a packed Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, July 14. First-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a superb second-half strike by Pedro Porro sealed a comfortable victory for La Roja, who reached only their second FIFA World Cup final and their first since lifting the trophy in 2010. Meanwhile, France’s dream of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final came to an end.
Spain broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute thanks to the brilliance of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. Just a day after celebrating his 19th birthday, Yamal reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the box before being brought down by Lucas Digne. Oyarzabal made no mistake from the penalty spot, calmly beating Mike Maignan to score his fifth goal of the tournament. It was also the first time France had fallen behind during their World Cup campaign.
France struggled to respond as Spain dominated possession and controlled the midfield through Rodri, who dictated the tempo throughout the contest. Kylian Mbappé was kept quiet by Spain’s disciplined defence, while Les Bleus suffered another setback when centre-back William Saliba was forced off with an injury before the half-hour mark.
Spain doubled their advantage in the 58th minute through Pedro Porro. The right-back combined brilliantly with Dani Olmo in a quick one-two before firing a clinical finish past Maignan to put the match beyond France’s reach.
Yamal thought he had added a spectacular third goal later in the game, only for it to be ruled out for a marginal offside. However, Spain remained in complete control and comfortably saw out the match.
The victory marks the third consecutive major tournament in which Spain have eliminated France in the knockout stages. Luis de la Fuente’s side will now travel to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for Sunday’s World Cup final, while France will face the loser of the second semifinal in the third-place playoff in Miami Gardens on Saturday.
