Tchouameni admits Spain dominated France in World Cup semi-final

France’s team has not come to terms with their semi-final loss to Spain (0-1) at the 2026 World Cup, Didier Deschamps’ final campaign in charge of Les Bleus. Aurélien Tchouameni, Real Madrid midfielder, acknowledged this publicly on his YouTube show The Bridge.

“We fell hard,” the player confided. “We performed so well in the matches leading up to the semi-final that when you lose in the semis, suddenly your dream of reaching the final and winning the World Cup, which had even become an objective when you look at the matches… After 90 minutes, you tell yourself ‘it’s over…’”

Despite being tournament favorites, Les Bleus had enjoyed a flawless run before running into La Roja. Tchouameni is not making excuses: according to him, Spanish dominance was real and echoes a pattern already seen at Euro 2024. “You have the impression you’re there but they show you they have their game plan clear. When you play against Spain, even at youth level, the guys play the same way, they master their stuff.”

Responsibility is both collective and individual, he insists. “We were all – and me first – not playing at our best level. And at that level, you pay for it immediately.”

The arrival of Zinédine Zidane on the French bench has since allowed the team to turn the page and restore positive momentum to the group. But the semi-final against Spain remains, for the players themselves, the sequence that still stings.