LIVE UPDATES: France 0-2 Spain World Cup 2026 semi-finals – Follow all the action, goals and celebrations

Las Roja will now face the winner of the other semi-final tie between England and Argentina in the final on Sunday, July 19.

FT – Spain book place in World Cup final with victory over France

The final whistle goes in Texas as referee Ivan Barton brings the contest to an end. Spain defeat France 2-0 to seal their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, courtesy of first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro.

90+6′ – Simón denies Dembélé again

Ousmane Dembélé produces a brilliant solo run into the Spain penalty area before unleashing a powerful effort towards the middle of the goal. Unai Simón once again comes to Spain’s rescue, making an outstanding save to ensure La Roja finish with a clean sheet.

90+5′ – Simón preserves Spain’s clean sheet

France come close to pulling one back as Ousmane Dembélé is picked out inside the penalty area, but Unai Simón stands firm to produce an excellent save and keep Spain’s two-goal advantage intact.

90+4′ – Nico Williams inches away

Nico Williams weaves brilliantly past several defenders before firing a shot that drifts just wide of the left post as Spain go in search of a third goal.

90+2′ – Spain attack halted

Lamine Yamal tries to burst through the France defence, but a timely clearance stops the promising attack.

90+1′ – France struggle to create

Manu Koné clips a cross into the Spain penalty area, but it fails to trouble the Spanish defence.

90′ – Seven minutes added

The fourth official signals seven minutes of added time as France search desperately for a way back into the semi-final.

France also take a corner short through Ousmane Dembélé, but Spain comfortably deal with the set-piece.

89′ – Yamal threatens again

Lamine Yamal glides past several challenges before France eventually force him away from goal. Spain continue to look dangerous on the counter-attack.

88′ – Mbappé goes close from free-kick

Kylian Mbappé curls a dangerous free-kick from close range, but the effort sails narrowly over the crossbar.

The opportunity came after Lamine Yamal was penalised for a foul in a dangerous area.

86′ – Mbappé booked

Kylian Mbappé receives a yellow card after a late challenge as France’s frustration begins to show.

85′ – Rodri penalised

Spain concede a free-kick after Rodri brings down his opponent.

84′ – Spain freshen up

Luis de la Fuente makes two more changes, introducing Nico Williams for Alex Baena and Marcos Llorente in place of goalscorer Pedro Porro.

82′ – Injury concern for Simón

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón goes down with a minor injury and receives treatment, but the shot-stopper is able to continue.

80′ – France move breaks down

Theo Hernández tries to pick out a teammate with a pass into the Spain penalty area, but Unai Simón reads it well and gathers comfortably.

79′ – Big crowd in Texas

The official attendance for tonight’s World Cup semi-final is announced as 70,176 spectators.

78′ – Torres goes close as Spain make double change

Ferran Torres nearly makes an instant impact, meeting a lofted cross with a powerful header that flashes just wide of the left post.

Moments earlier, Spain refreshed their midfield as Pedri replaced Fabián Ruiz, while Mikel Merino came on for Dani Olmo.

77′ – France waste free-kick

Ousmane Dembélé delivers a free-kick into the penalty area, but Spain comfortably clear the danger.

76′ – France awarded free-kick

Lamine Yamal is penalised for a strong challenge, giving France another opportunity to send players forward.

75′ – Chances at both ends

Désiré Doué overhits an attempted through ball and Spain are awarded a goal kick. At the other end, Ferran Torres is flagged offside after making an early run behind the French defence.

74′ – Spain and France make changes

Spain introduce Ferran Torres in place of goalscorer Mikel Oyarzabal, while France respond by bringing on Maghnes Akliouche for Lucas Digne.

Doué also attempts to deliver a cross into the Spain penalty area, but the defence clears with ease.

72′ – Deschamps reshuffles attack

France make another attacking substitution as Rayan Cherki replaces Michael Olise, with Maghnes Akliouche also entering the game for Lucas Digne.

69′ – Cooling break

Play is temporarily halted as players take on fluids during the scheduled cooling break.

Before the stoppage, Jules Koundé conceded a free-kick after a robust challenge.

68′ – France frustrated

Kylian Mbappé is caught offside as France search for a route back into the game. Moments later, Lucas Digne’s cross is comfortably claimed by Unai Simón.

67′ – Mbappé denied

Kylian Mbappé works space on the edge of the penalty area, but his strike is blocked by the Spain defence before France earn a corner. The resulting set-piece, taken short by Désiré Doué, comes to nothing after Spain deal with the danger.

65′ – Tchouaméni misses the target

Aurélien Tchouaméni rises highest from a France corner but sends his header well over the crossbar as Les Bleus continue to chase a way back into the semi-final.

61′ – Spain denied a third by the offside flag

Lamine Yamal thinks he has extended Spain’s advantage after finding the back of the net, but the assistant referee quickly raises the flag for offside and the goal is ruled out.

60′ – Spain attack breaks down

Fabián Ruiz attempts to pick out a teammate with a forward pass, but the ball is overhit and the opportunity slips away.

58′ – GOAL! Pedro Porro doubles Spain’s lead (France 0-2 Spain)

Spain strike again with a superbly worked move. Dani Olmo slips a clever pass into Pedro Porro inside the penalty area, and the defender fires a first-time finish into the right side of the net to put La Roja firmly in control.

57′ – France make first attacking change

Didier Deschamps turns to his bench, replacing Bradley Barcola with Désiré Doué in search of a way back into the contest.

56′ – Cross lacks accuracy

Fabián Ruiz swings a delivery into the France penalty area, but it fails to find a teammate.

55′ – Barcola denied by Simón

Bradley Barcola bursts into the Spain penalty area, but goalkeeper Unai Simón reacts quickly to race off his line and smother the danger.

54′ – France move fizzles out

Ousmane Dembélé attempts a through ball, but the pass is overhit and runs through for a Spain goal kick.

53′ – France clear the danger

Lamine Yamal looks to break into space, but a French defender steps in to clear the ball away.

52′ – Oyarzabal goes close

Spain nearly double their lead again as Mikel Oyarzabal lets fly from the edge of the area, but his effort whistles just over the crossbar.

51′ – Offside against Yamal

Lamine Yamal is caught beyond the last defender, bringing another promising Spain attack to an end.

50′ – France almost through

Kylian Mbappé releases Bradley Barcola with a perfectly weighted pass, but a recovering Spanish defender makes a crucial interception before the forward can go one-on-one with Unai Simón.

49′ – Spain concede a free-kick

Fabián Ruiz is penalised for a late challenge, giving France a free-kick.

47′ – Rodri’s pass intercepted

Rodri tries to thread a pass through the France defence, but the move breaks down.

46′ – France make a change at the break

Manu Koné replaces Adrien Rabiot as Didier Deschamps reshuffles his midfield for the second half.

46′ – Second half underway

The action resumes in Texas as France look to overturn a one-goal deficit against Spain.

22′ – GOAL! Spain take the lead from the penalty spot (France 0-1 Spain)

Mikel Oyarzabal keeps his composure from 12 yards, sending Mike Maignan the wrong way with a clinical finish into the right corner to give Spain a crucial early lead in the World Cup semi-final.

22′ – Oyarzabal steps up

Mikel Oyarzabal places the ball on the penalty spot as Spain prepare to take the spot-kick.

20′ – Penalty to Spain!

Spain are awarded a penalty after referee Ivan Barton rules that Lucas Digne brought down his opponent inside the box. The French defender is penalised, handing La Roja a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.

19′ – France force a corner

Michael Olise threads an inviting pass into the Spain penalty area, but a defender reacts quickly to clear the danger behind for a corner as France continue to press.

17′ – France continue to apply pressure

Aurélien Tchouaméni floats a dangerous cross into the Spain penalty area, but the Spanish defence reacts well to clear the danger.

16′ – France win another corner

Michael Olise’s effort from inside the box is bravely blocked by a defender, earning France another corner. Olise takes the resulting short corner as Les Bleus keep the pressure on.

14′ – Olise penalised

The referee blows for a foul after Michael Olise is judged to have been too aggressive in a challenge.

13′ – Mbappé’s cross goes begging

Kylian Mbappé clips a teasing ball into the penalty area, but none of his teammates can get on the end of it.

12′ – France move breaks down

Dayot Upamecano attempts to thread a pass through the Spain defence, but the move comes to nothing as the ball runs through for a goal kick.

11′ – Spain denied by the wall

Alex Baena steps up to take a free-kick from the edge of the area, but France’s defensive wall stands firm to block the effort.

9′ – Rabiot booked after reckless challenge

Adrien Rabiot becomes the first player to enter the referee’s notebook after bringing down his opponent in a dangerous position. Spain are awarded a free-kick in a promising area, but Baena’s effort is blocked.

8′ – Mbappé can’t reach Olise pass

Michael Olise releases Kylian Mbappé with a pass into space, but the France captain is beaten to the ball by the Spanish defence.

6′ – France threaten from a corner

Adrien Rabiot fires a first-time effort from outside the area after the ball breaks kindly to him, but he sends his shot comfortably wide. Moments earlier, Bradley Barcola had forced a corner after his cross was blocked, although Spain cleared Olise’s delivery.

4′ – Yamal shows early intent

Lamine Yamal bursts forward for Spain, but a recovering French defender produces a well-timed challenge to halt the attack.

2′ – Spain move intercepted

Unai Simón attempts to start an attack with a pass from the back, but a France player blocks the move.

1′ – Early warning from Spain

Marc Cucurella sends a long ball forward, but Mike Maignan is alert and gathers comfortably.

Kick-off

France and Spain are underway in Texas as a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final goes on the line.

Pre-match

• The match begins after a minute’s silence.
• El Salvador’s Ivan Barton is the referee for today’s World Cup semi-final.

🇫🇷 FRANCE vs SPAIN 🇪🇸

Starting XI's CONFIRMED! ✅ pic.twitter.com/4JbGzcKHPK

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 14, 2026

Stay tuned as we’ll bring you every key moment from France vs Spain, including the goals, substitutions and talking points as it happens.

Spain have won seven of the last ten encounters, including victories in the Euro 2024 semi-final (2-1) and the 2025 UEFA Nations League semi-final (5-4).

• Matches: 38
• Spain wins: 18
• France wins: 13
• Draws: 7

Spain have enjoyed the upper hand in recent meetings between the two nations.

Head-to-head

Luis de la Fuente’s side are unbeaten in 36 matches in normal time since March 2024 and will equal Italy’s all-time record of 37 if they avoid defeat today.

Since then, La Roja have grown stronger with every match, beating Austria 3-0, Portugal 1-0 and Belgium 2-1, with Mikel Merino scoring decisive late winners in the last two knockout rounds.

Spain, meanwhile, recovered from an opening goalless draw against Cape Verde to finish top of Group H with seven points.

The match also marks a personal milestone for Deschamps, who takes charge of his 26th World Cup match, the most by any coach in the tournament’s history.

Didier Deschamps’ men are appearing in a third successive World Cup semi-final and are bidding to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.

Les Bleus defeated Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32, edged Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 and overcame Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals despite Kylian Mbappé missing an early penalty.

France have been one of the standout teams at the tournament, winning all three group matches before advancing through the knockout rounds without conceding a goal.

Match Preview

Stay with us for live minute-by-minute updates, goals, key moments and celebrations throughout the match.

Didier Deschamps’ side are chasing a third consecutive appearance in the final, while reigning European champions Spain are looking to book only their second World Cup final after lifting the trophy in 2010.

European heavyweights France and Spain go head-to-head at AT&T Stadium in Texas for a place in the World Cup final.

Welcome to AfricaSoccer’s live coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final between France and Spain.