France eliminated as Spain cruise into World Cup final

by Chumasande Matiwane

France’s dream of lifting a third FIFA World Cup title came to an end on Tuesday, 15 July 2026, after a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Also see: Spain and Belgium meet in high-stakes World Cup quarter-final

Spain tastes victory against France

Spain produced a disciplined and clinical performance to book their place in the World Cup final. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half after Lamine Yamal was brought down in the penalty area. Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s advantage in the second half, leaving France with too much to do.

Despite boasting an attack featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, France struggled to break through Spain’s organised defence. Spain’s back line recorded another impressive defensive display, frustrating the French forwards throughout the match.

The defeat ends France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final. Didier Deschamps’ side had impressed earlier in the tournament with victories over Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco, but were unable to overcome a confident Spanish team.

Proud of everything

The French team had already masterminded one World Cup victory in 2018, taking France to a penalty shoot-out defeat of another in 2022.

With the French coach Deschamps leaving his position, he reflected on a bitterly disappointing end to a campaign, which over the past five weeks had promised to end in crowning glory.

Deschamps said, “It is not really important on a personal level whether I leave this competition in the semifinal or final.”

“It’s not the time to talk about the future. And I am extremely happy. I am very proud of everything we’ve done with the national team. He later said, “I have been lucky as a player to enjoy a big moment. Today is not such a moment, but I think we must accept it without forgetting everything that we’ve experienced so far.”

Also see: World Cup hosts USA crash out as Belgium ends home dreams 

But Mbappe, on the other hand, sounded disappointed, saying, “It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and to make history.

“Now, it is something we have to face with our heads held high. I believe that when you win, you win with your head held high; so when you lose, you have to lose with your head held high, too.

France will now turn their attention to the third-place playoff, while Spain advances to the World Cup final, where it will face the winner of the other semi-final between England and Argentina.

The result continues Spain’s remarkable unbeaten run and reinforces their status as one of the world’s dominant football nations heading into the tournament’s final match.

Also see: 2026 FIFA World Cup: France and Spain get ready for a place in the final

Featured image: Getty Images / Shaun Botterill

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