In one of the most stunning semi-final performances in recent World Cup history, Spain delivered a near-perfect display of controlled collective football to crush pre-tournament favorites France 2-0 at Dallas Stadium, securing their place in the 2026 World Cup final and leaving football pundits and fans alike in awe of their dominance.
Les Bleus entered Tuesday’s highly anticipated matchup as overwhelming favorites to advance. Boasting a star-studded attacking line led by Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, Didier Deschamps’ side had cruised through the knockout stages, with many analysts questioning whether any side could stop their momentum toward a second consecutive World Cup title.
But Spain, the reigning European champions who entered the match level with Italy on a joint-record 37-game unbeaten streak, silenced all doubters with a disciplined performance that shut down France’s vaunted attack completely. The win marks just the second time Spain has reached a men’s World Cup final, and they will now face either Argentina or England in Sunday’s title decider, entering the match as clear favorites after their dominant semi-final showing.
Spain’s road to the final has been one of slow-burn momentum rather than early fireworks. They began their campaign with an underwhelming 0-0 draw against first-time World Cup qualifiers Cape Verde, required late 91st and 88th-minute winners to see off Portugal in the Round of 16 and Belgium in the quarter-finals respectively, and teenage star Lamine Yamal entered the semi-final with only one tournament goal to his name. But Luis de la Fuente’s side have peaked at the exactly the right moment, and their clean sheet against France marked their sixth shutout in seven matches – a feat never before achieved in a single World Cup edition. For France, the result means a consolation third-place play-off, after managing only three attempts on target all game.
Pundits who witnessed the match were quick to praise Spain’s all-round performance. “Spain scalped France – they flattened France,” former Premier League champion Chris Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live from the stadium. “We heaped so much praise on France throughout this tournament, but they were swatted aside by silky Spain. Spain outfought and outplayed this French team from start to finish.”
Another former Premier League winner, Roy Keane, highlighted France’s lack of coordination on ITV: “France were not playing as a unit. You have brilliant individuals, but they never functioned as a team. Spain have been absolutely brilliant – an absolute joy to watch.”
Much of the credit for Spain’s historic run has gone to manager Luis de la Fuente, whose appointment in December 2022 was met with widespread skepticism. A low-profile youth team coach who had led Spain’s U-19, U-21 and U-23 sides, de la Fuente was even dubbed “Luis de la Who?” by some critics after taking over from high-profile predecessor Luis Enrique. But the 65-year-old has defied all expectations, leading Spain to a 2023 Nations League title, 2024 European Championship glory, and now a World Cup final in less than three years in charge.
That skepticism now seems completely unfounded, with analysts pointing to de la Fuente’s decade-long work building Spain’s current core through the national youth setup as the foundation of their success. Mikel Merino, captain Rodri and goalkeeper Unai Simon all won the 2015 European U-19 Championship under de la Fuente, while core starters Mikel Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo also came through his youth programs.
“De La Fuente started this journey 10 years ago with Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Rodri and Simon,” Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC 5 Live. “They won the under-19 and under-21 Euros together, got to know each other, formed a family, and that feeling of being better together than individually is in their DNA.”
De la Fuente embraced that team-first spirit in his post-match comments, confirming he had received a congratulatory phone call from King Felipe VI after the final whistle. “Our players deserve to be here because of effort, talent, sacrifice, and the constant work to be a better version of ourselves,” he said. “We’ve recaptured the spirit of 2010, when we won the World Cup. The character of this team is evident in the fact that those who didn’t play stayed behind to train after the match. This is a process, and it was all planned for us to reach this moment in as great shape as possible.”
Against France, that process translated into a tactical masterclass that exposed the favorites’ weaknesses. Spain’s iconic possession-based, short-passing football dominated the game from kickoff, with the midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Rodri and roaming playmaker Dani Olmo completely overran France’s two-man central midfield. Olmo’s ability to drop deep created a persistent three-versus-two numerical advantage that France could never solve, while Spain targeted France’s passive zonal 4-4-1-1 block by pushing their full-backs forward to create overloads on the flanks.
The two goals that sealed the win came from those exact tactical strengths. Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot, before Pedro Porro found an unmarked space in the box after a clever overlapping run to slot home Spain’s second just before the hour mark. Remarkably, the two goals came from Spain’s only two attempts on target all game, while France recorded an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.3 – the lowest for any team in a World Cup semi-final since Brazil faced Sweden in 1994.
The result prompted a wave of celebration across Spain, with thousands of fans taking to the streets of major cities immediately after the final whistle. As they prepare for Sunday’s final, de la Fuente said he has no preference between facing England or Argentina, who will play their semi-final on Wednesday. But Balague said Spain’s performance on Tuesday has already marked them as the team to beat.
“I think the winner of the World Cup played today,” he said. “Having raised the bar, Spain are finishing games, they are creating chances. They have so many layers that they can adapt to any opponent. If it’s Argentina, who are defensively suspect, Spain can break them on the counter. If it’s England, Spain’s core is settled and their game plan is clear – they’ve been building to this moment for a decade.”
For France, who have been knocked out in the semi-finals, the focus now turns to an unwanted third-place play-off, with manager Didier Deschamps set to take charge of his final game in charge.