Spain secured a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with a deserved 2-0 victory over France, producing a disciplined and tactically impressive display to eliminate one of the tournament favourites. After defeating Belgium in the quarter-finals, La Roja carried that momentum into the semi-final and controlled the game for long spells.
Softfootball understands that Spain’s confidence was evident from the opening whistle, with Dani Olmo orchestrating play in midfield and Lamine Yamal constantly threatening the French defence.
Spain took the lead in the 22nd minute after Adrien Rabiot fouled Yamal in the box. Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the resulting penalty to put Spain ahead. The advantage was doubled in the 58th minute when Olmo played a superb pass to Pedro Porro, who finished clinically past Mike Maignan.
France struggled to create clear chances against Spain’s organised defence, while Yamal also had a goal ruled out for offside. The final whistle confirmed Spain’s 2-0 victory and a deserved place in the World Cup final.
France players rating
| Player | Rating |
| Mike Maignan | 4.94 |
| Dayot Upamecano | 4.35 |
| Bradley Barcola | 4.34 |
| Jules Koundé | 4.32 |
| William Saliba | 4.31 |
| Maxence Lacroix | 4.18 |
| Rayan Cherki | 4.18 |
| Theo Hernández | 4.10 |
| Manu Koné | 4.08 |
| Désiré Doué | 4.08 |
| Michael Olise | 4.04 |
| Kylian Mbappé | 4.02 |
| Aurélien Tchouaméni | 3.98 |
| Adrien Rabiot | 3.88 |
| Ousmane Dembélé | 3.77 |
| Lucas Digne | 3.73 |
Spain players rating
| Player | Rating |
| Rodri | 8.34 |
| Pedro Porro | 7.97 |
| Marc Cucurella | 7.80 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | 7.57 |
| Dani Olmo | 7.50 |
| Aymeric Laporte | 7.39 |
| Fabián Ruiz | 7.36 |
| Lamine Yamal | 7.25 |
| Pau Cubarsí | 7.18 |
| Unai Simón | 7.12 |
| Álex Baena | 6.88 |
| Pedri | 6.76 |
| Nico Williams | 6.45 |
| Marcos Llorente | 6.44 |
| Ferran Torres | 6.42 |
| Mikel Merino | 6.33 |
Match statistics
| Statistic | France | Spain |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.30 | 1.63 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 2 |
| Shots off Target | 5 | 5 |
| Blocked Shots | 2 | 3 |
| Possession | 49% | 51% |
| Corner Kicks | 7 | 1 |
| Offsides | 4 | 5 |
| Fouls | 11 | 12 |
| Throw-ins | 22 | 16 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 1 |
| Crosses | 4 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper Saves | 0 | 3 |
| Goal Kicks | 8 | 10 |
