World Cup 2026: Spain outplay France in 2-0 victory to advance to final

Spain secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final after producing a disciplined display to defeat France 2-0 in their semi-final clash on Tuesday.

La Roja took control of the contest in the first half through Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty before Pedro Porro doubled the advantage after the break, ending France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.

Spain take control before the break

The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when referee Ivan Barton pointed to the spot after ruling that Lucas Digne had committed a foul inside the penalty area.

Oyarzabal stepped up two minutes later and confidently sent goalkeeper Mike Maignan the wrong way, firing into the right corner to hand Spain a deserved lead.

Spain continued to dominate and almost doubled their advantage in the 38th minute, but Fabián Ruiz saw his effort from inside the box brilliantly blocked before France cleared the resulting corner.

Porro seals victory

Spain strengthened their grip on the match in the 58th minute through an excellent team move. Dani Olmo slipped a clever pass into Pedro Porro, who drilled a first-time finish into the right side of the net to make it 2-0.

Three minutes later, Lamine Yamal thought he had added a third goal, only for the assistant referee to raise the offside flag and rule out his effort.

France denied late consolation

France pushed forward in search of a way back into the contest, with Désiré Doué forcing Unai Simón into a fine save from long range in the 81st minute.

The Spain goalkeeper produced another outstanding stop deep into stoppage time, denying Ousmane Dembélé after the French winger burst into the penalty area following an impressive solo run.

The victory sends Spain into the World Cup final, where they will now be just one win away from lifting the trophy for the second time in their history.

The European champions will face the winner of the second semi-final tie between England and Argentina in the final on Sunday, July 19.