World Cup 2026 : Spain end the Bleus’ dream
The climb was too steep. After a promising start to the tournament, France’s World Cup run is over at the last-four stage. Beaten 2-0 by a superbly controlled Spain side, Didier Deschamps’ men never found a way to shake a Roja team that dictated things from first whistle to last.
For the third time in just a few years, Spain have stood in the way of the Bleus in a major competition. This time, the punishment is a semi-final exit and crushing disappointment for a generation chasing a third straight World Cup final.
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The Bleus never found the right rhythm
For long spells, France were chasing shadows. Spain did not exactly flood forward, but they always looked in charge of the tempo. France, by contrast, could neither keep the ball nor build any sort of attack.
The first turning point came after a Lucas Digne mistake inside his own box. Trying to clear, the full-back clipped Lamine Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal buried the penalty without a hint of nerves and the game was transformed.
As if that was not bad enough, William Saliba had to go off a few minutes later with a back problem. France lost their defensive leader while Spain kept the ball on a leash.
After the break, Pedro Porro finished off a brilliant move with Dani Olmo to make it 2-0. At that stage, France already looked as if they had blown their chance.
Le dream ends at the gate of the final.
The disappointment is huge, but there is one last battle to fight together 💙#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/46h1HlbFzM
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 15, 2026
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A night with no answer up front
From the start of the tournament, France’s attack had been one of the most eye-catching in the competition. Against Spain, it barely existed.
Kylian Mbappé tried to force the issue on his own, Ousmane Dembélé was quiet, Michael Olise never found his usual pockets of space and Bradley Barcola was hardly fed on any decent service. Every time France tried to burst forward, Spain shut the door straight away. “France went from the ‘four fantastic’ to the ‘four invisible’” (ESPN).
The numbers tell the story of this semi-final: France managed just 0,3 expected goal for the entire match, their lowest total at a World Cup since that statistic began being tracked.
So the run ends in the last four. Spain are off to another World Cup final, while the Bleus head home from the United States having been outplayed in just about every area.
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Photo credit: Stefan Koops / NurPhoto via AFP
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