Spain reached the 2026 World Cup final after beating France 2-0 in their semifinal at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, with Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scoring in each half.
The victory sends Spain into the final and sets up a showdown with the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between England and Argentina, as reported by ESPN.
It caps a run that has quietly turned the European champions into the team to beat.
How Spain beat France to reach the final
Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half after Lamine Yamal was fouled inside the box. Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute, and France never found a way back into the game.
The result was built on control rather than flair. Spain dominated possession, pressed France into mistakes and rarely let Kylian Mbappe’s side settle. By the time Porro struck, the outcome already felt decided.
Much of Spain’s threat again flowed through Lamine Yamal, whose run won the penalty that Oyarzabal converted. The teenager has been central to this campaign, and France’s inability to contain him shaped the semifinal as much as any goal did.
Coach Luis de la Fuente was in no mood to play down what his side had done.
“We’re feeling unbeatable. They faced the best team in the world,” he told a news conference after the match.
De la Fuente also praised the character behind the win. “We did it with discipline, being organised, with sacrifice, with commitment, with effort,” he said, framing the performance as the product of years of patient building rather than one night’s inspiration.
He went further on what reaching the final meant. “It’s a privilege, something reserved for the chosen few,” de la Fuente said.
“Thinking back to when we started four years ago with a vision, we’ve stayed true to it.”
What Oyarzabal said about Spain’s World Cup run
The forward, who scored the opener, struggled to process the achievement. “I can’t even dream about these things, being in a final,” Oyarzabal said.
“We’re making history, and we just want to go one more step forward.”
For France, the defeat ends a tournament that promised more. They arrived among the favourites but could not break down a Spanish side that has made shutting out opponents look routine.
Spain now wait to learn their opponent, with England and Argentina meeting in Atlanta on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. The final takes place at the weekend, and Spain will go into it as the side nobody in the tournament has managed to solve.
