Spain Defeats France 2-0 to Reach FIFA World Cup 2026 Final

Kathmandu. In the first semi-final match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, European powerhouse Spain registered a spectacular 2-0 victory over France to secure their place in the final. In a thrilling and high-pressure clash at the Dallas stadium, Spain ended France's dream of reaching the final for the third consecutive time. With this, Spain has managed to enter the World Cup final for the second time in its history.

This competition between the top-ranked teams in world football was seen as the biggest clash of the tournament. France was aiming to reach the final for the third consecutive time, playing in the semi-finals for the eighth time in its history. France had won the World Cup in 2018 and was runner-up after being defeated by Argentina in 2022. On the other hand, Spain had reached the final only once in its history, in 2010, and won the title. With this victory, Spain has got the opportunity to get close to the title for the second time, and in the process of continuously winning against France in recent encounters, it has also repeated the 2-1 result of the Euro 2024 semi-final.

From the beginning of the match, both teams presented tough challenges physically and strategically. The game became tighter after France's midfielder Adrien Rabiot received a yellow card in the eighth minute. In the 22nd minute of the game, Spain got a penalty opportunity. Mikel Oyarzabal easily converted this important opportunity into a goal, giving Spain an initial lead. In the 31st minute of the first half, Spain's defender Marc Cucurella received a yellow card, and the first half ended 1-0.

In the 58th minute of the game, Spain's defender Pedro Porro scored an excellent goal, making Spain's lead 2-0. After strengthening their grip on the game, Spain replaced the first goal scorer Oyarzabal with Ferran Torres in the 74th minute and the second goal scorer Porro with Marcos Llorente in the 84th minute to strengthen the defense. Towards the end of the game, in the 86th minute, France's captain Kylian Mbappé received a yellow card for a bad foul on Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon.

Earlier, in the quarter-finals, France had reached the final four by defeating Morocco 2-0, while Spain had secured a place in the semi-finals by winning a tough match against Belgium 1-0 with the help of Mikel Merino's goal. Spain, which has conceded only one goal so far in this World Cup, also performed excellently defensively against France and managed to keep a clean sheet. With excellent collective ball control and disciplined play, Spain has moved close to its historic second World Cup title, while France's semi-final journey has ended here.