SportsCatch
EN

Spain crush France 2-0 to reach first World Cup final since 2010 triumph

Spain became the first team to book a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, defeating France 2-0 in the opening semifinal on Tuesday. Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored as La Roja seek a second world title. They await the winner of England vs Argentina on Wednesday.

2 min read
Spain crush France 2-0 to reach first World Cup final since 2010 triumph
Share

Spain are through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final after dismantling France 2-0 in the first semifinal on Tuesday, setting up a Sunday showdown at New York New Jersey Stadium against either England or Argentina.

Mikel Oyarzabal broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal drew the foul, and Pedro Porro doubled the advantage in the 58th minute to put the result beyond doubt. Goalkeeper Unai Simón kept a clean sheet as Spain controlled the match from start to finish against a French side that had been widely regarded as the tournament’s standout team heading into the last four.

It is Spain’s first World Cup final appearance since their solitary triumph in South Africa in 2010 — and only their second ever. La Roja will be bidding to become world champions for the second time when they take the field on Sunday, 19 July.

France, who reached the final in both 2018 and 2022, will now miss out on a third consecutive final appearance. Les Bleus drop into the third-place play-off on Saturday, 18 July at Miami Stadium, where they will face the loser of Wednesday’s second semifinal.

That match pits England against Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, 15 July. England reached the last four for the fourth time in their history, edging Norway 2-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals, with Jude Bellingham scoring both goals for the Three Lions — their second semifinal in three tournaments.

Argentina also needed extra time to advance, defeating Switzerland in a quarterfinal that was not without controversy. Switzerland were reduced to ten men late in the contest following a VAR decision that drew significant debate. Lionel Messi and Argentina are in the semifinals for the second consecutive World Cup and for the third time in five tournaments.

The winner of England vs Argentina will face Spain in the final on Sunday, 19 July at New York New Jersey Stadium, while the loser will meet France in the third-place match at Miami Stadium the day before.

Share
{# Sitewide native fullscreen interstitial — our own bet-CTA card blown up to a takeover (replaces the SDK overlay). The shared card animations + countdown load once, AFTER the interstitial markup, so the countdown script's first tick sees this card's node too (the in-read card, in
above, already exists). One include covers both surfaces. #}