Spain produced one of the best performances of the tournament to defeat France 2-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final and book their place in Sunday's final. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro sealed a deserved victory as Luis de la Fuente's side completely outplayed the pre-tournament favourites in Arlington, Texas. France's star-studded attack, led by Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, was kept remarkably quiet throughout the contest.
Match Summary
The European champions controlled possession from the opening whistle and took the lead in the 22nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal inside the box. Spain continued to dominate and doubled their advantage in the 58th minute as Pedro Porro finished brilliantly after an excellent combination with Dani Olmo. France struggled to create meaningful chances and failed to register a comeback, ending their hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.
Spain Player Ratings vs France
Goalkeeper & Defence
Unai Simon – 9/10: Alert when called upon and raced off his line brilliantly to deny Mbappe.
Pedro Porro – 8/10: Improved after an uncertain start and capped his display with a superb goal.
Pau Cubarsi – 9/10: Outstanding. Read the game perfectly and made countless interceptions and blocks.
Aymeric Laporte – 7/10: Used all his experience to marshal the Spanish defence.
Marc Cucurella – 8/10: Recovered from an early booking to completely shut down France's dangerous wingers.
Midfield
Fabian Ruiz – 7/10: Kept the ball moving and linked play effectively.
Rodri – 9/10 (Our Man of the Match): The heartbeat of Spain. Controlled the tempo, won key duels and dictated the match from midfield.
Dani Olmo – 9/10: Brilliant in tight spaces and produced a wonderful assist for Porro's goal.
Attack
Lamine Yamal – 8/10: Won the decisive penalty and tormented Digne all evening.
Mikel Oyarzabal – 8/10: Calmly converted his penalty and linked play intelligently.
Alex Baena – 6/10: Worked hard but had limited impact in attack.
Subs & Manager
Ferran Torres – 5/10
Mikel Merino – 6/10
Pedri – 6/10
Marcos Llorente – N/A
Nico Williams – N/A
Luis de la Fuente – 9/10: Set up his side perfectly and watched them dominate one of the tournament favourites.
France Player Ratings vs Spain
Goalkeeper & Defence
Mike Maignan – 5/10: Could do little about either goal.
Jules Kounde – 5/10: Gave Spain too much space down his flank.
Dayot Upamecano – 6/10: One of France's better performers defensively.
William Saliba – N/A: Forced off through injury.
Lucas Digne – 2/10: A nightmare evening, conceding the penalty and struggling throughout.
Midfield
Aurelien Tchouameni – 5/10: Battled hard but lacked support.
Adrien Rabiot – 4/10: Early booking disrupted his game and he never recovered.
Michael Olise – 3/10: Completely nullified by Spain's defence.
Attack
Ousmane Dembele – 5/10: Sloppy in possession and unable to create danger.
Kylian Mbappe – 5/10: Anonymous by his lofty standards with barely any influence.
Bradley Barcola – 3/10: Bright early moments but faded quickly.
Subs & Manager
Maxence Lacroix – 4/10
Manu Kone – 4/10
Desire Doue – 5/10
Theo Hernandez – 5/10
Rayan Cherki – 6/10
Didier Deschamps – 2/10: France were second-best from start to finish and had no answer to Spain's dominance.
Spain Reach the Final in Style
This was a tactical masterclass from Spain. They outsmarted France in every department, controlling possession, dominating midfield battles and restricting one of the tournament's most dangerous attacks to almost nothing. The return of Rodri to his Ballon d'Or-best form following his serious injury has transformed Spain, with the midfielder once again dictating the flow and tempo of the game.
Spain will now play their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010, while it is a painful and disappointing exit for Kylian Mbappe and France, whose dream of reaching a third straight final came crashing down in emphatic fashion.
