Spain secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with an impressive 2-0 victory over France at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, Bold Sports reports.
Both teams entered the semifinal as strong contenders for the title, but it was the reigning European champions who emerged victorious thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.
Spain dominated the early exchanges and were awarded a penalty in the 20th minute after Lucas Digne took a wild swing at Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area while attempting to clear the ball.
Oyarzabal stepped up and fired the spot kick into the net despite Mike Maignan diving the right way, giving Spain a deserved 1-0 lead and taking his tally at the tournament to five goals.
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France suffered another setback in the 30th minute when William Saliba was forced off with an injury. The Arsenal centre-back was replaced by Maxence Lacroix.
Spain came close to extending their lead in the 38th minute after Maignan misplaced a pass while trying to play out from the back. Yamal squared the ball to Fabian Ruiz after a brilliant team move, but Dayot Upamecano made a crucial last-ditch intervention to deny the midfielder.
France began the second half determined to get back into the game, but Spain struck again in the 58th minute. Pedro Porro exchanged passes with Dani Olmo before firing the ball past Maignan to make it 2-0.
Yamal thought he had added a third just three minutes later, but his effort was ruled out for offside. France then had a chance to pull one back in the 67th minute, but Kylian Mbappe saw his shot blocked by Marc Cucurella.
France almost capitalised on an error in the 80th minute when Unai Simon misjudged a headed clearance after rushing off his line. However, the Spanish goalkeeper recovered quickly to deny Desire Doue.
Les Bleus continued to push for a way back into the contest. Mbappe fired a late free kick off target before Cucurella produced another outstanding defensive challenge to prevent the forward from getting a shot away inside the box.
Despite France’s late efforts, Spain held firm to seal an impressive victory, booking their place in the World Cup final for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2010. France, meanwhile, fell short of reaching a third successive World Cup final.
Les Bleus will now face the losers of the second semifinal between Argentina and England for the third place match, while Spain will meet the winners of that encounter in Sunday’s final.
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