The Spanish national team wrote a new chapter in its World Cup history, securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup final for only the second time, ending a 16-year wait since its historic title win in 2010. This came after a deserved 2-0 victory over France in the semi-final match.
“La Roja” imposed its dominance on the match, translating its superiority into a first goal scored by Mikel Oyarzabal from a penalty kick in the 22nd minute, before Pedro Porro doubled the lead with a second goal in the 58th minute. This led the Spanish team to the highly anticipated final next Sunday evening, where they will face the winner of the match between defending champions Argentina and England, which takes place on Wednesday evening.
Spain’s victory was not just about reaching the final; it also carried a revenge aspect, as they avenged their 3-1 loss to France in the Round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany.
On the other hand, the French team continued its struggles in knockout stages against Spain, suffering its third consecutive semi-final defeat to the same opponent, following a 2-1 loss in the semi-final of Euro 2024 in Germany, and then a thrilling 5-4 loss in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League in 2025. The French team, a two-time World Cup winner and runner-up in the 2022 World Cup, will have to settle for the third-place match against the loser of the Argentina-England game, scheduled for next Saturday midnight.
The Spanish team controlled the first half and managed to impose its rhythm despite the cautious approach from both sides. Spanish attempts were limited to moves by Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, and Oyarzabal, before the latter gave his team the lead from the penalty spot.
With this goal, Oyarzabal raised his tally to five goals in the tournament, equaling the historic record for the top Spanish scorer in a single World Cup edition, an achievement first set by Emilio Butragueño at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and later repeated by David Villa during the 2010 edition in South Africa.
On the other side, the French team failed to capitalize on its attacking strength led by Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola. “Les Bleus” failed to direct a single shot on target throughout the first half, allowing goalkeeper Unai Simón to keep a clean sheet.
Coach Didier Deschamps’ troubles increased after he was forced to make an early substitution in the 30th minute, with defender William Saliba going off due to injury, replaced by Maxence Lacroix.
At the start of the second half, Deschamps made another change by bringing on Manu Koné for Adrien Rabiot, who was at risk of a red card after receiving a yellow card in the first half. However, these substitutions did not prevent Spain from landing the second blow, after Pedro Porro finished…