Spain Beats France 2-0 to Reach FIFA World Cup 2026 Final
Spain produced a disciplined display to defeat France 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal and book its place in the final after 16 years. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a 22nd minute penalty before Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute.
Spain controlled possession throughout, while France struggled to create clear chances despite Kylian Mbappe leading the attack. In the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Spain defeated France 2-0 to book a place in the World Cup final for the first time in 16 years. The European champions produced a composed display, dominating possession and limiting France's attacking threat throughout the contest. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 22nd minute by converting a penalty after Lamine Yamal was fouled inside the box by Lucas Digne. The striker's successful spot kick was his fifth goal of the tournament and gave Spain an early advantage.
France tried to respond through Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities against Spain's organised defence. Goalkeeper Unai Simon played a key role with several timely saves and interceptions to keep France scoreless. Spain doubled its lead in the 58th minute when Pedro Porro finished a well worked move after receiving a precise pass from Dani Olmo.
The second goal effectively ended France's hopes of a comeback. Despite making several substitutions in the second half, France failed to break through as Spain controlled the tempo until the final whistle. The victory also marked the first time Mbappe missed out on reaching a World Cup final. Spain will now face the winner of the England versus Argentina semifinal as it chases a second FIFA World Cup title.