ARLINGTON, Texas — Entering Tuesday’s high-stakes World Cup semifinal at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, France carried all the momentum: an undefeated run through the tournament’s first six matches, a dynamic attacking front led by golden boot contender Kylian Mbappé, and the experience of a squad that had reached the final of the last two World Cups. Many expected the defending runners-up to outclass Spain’s solid defense and punch their ticket to a third consecutive title decider, in what was widely expected to be head coach Didier Deschamps’ final match on soccer’s biggest global stage.
But the night belonged entirely to Spain, who shut out Les Bleus 2-0 to secure their spot in the World Cup final, leaving France and its long-tenured coach with a crushing early exit.
Deschamps, who has publicly stated this tournament would be his final World Cup at the helm of the French national team, boasts one of the most impressive resumes in international soccer: he lifted the trophy as a player for France in the 1998 home World Cup, then claimed gold again as manager in the 2018 tournament in Russia, before guiding his side to the 2022 final in Qatar, where France fell to Argentina in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Speaking to reporters after the final whistle through a translator, Deschamps reflected on his decades-long career with the French program while acknowledging the sting of the defeat. “I’ve been lucky as a player to enjoy happy moments. Today is not such a moment. But I think we must accept it without forgetting everything that we’ve experienced so far. But today’s feeling is that I am not happy,” he said, adding that it was too early to make any official announcements about his future.
The disappointment of the upset rippled 4,000 miles across the Atlantic to France itself, where unrest broke out in major urban centers. Multiple clashes were reported between law enforcement and young people in Paris, with similar disturbances recorded in Lyon. French sports media and pundits widely lamented the team’s flat performance, which marked the first time France conceded defeat in this year’s tournament after opening with six straight unbeaten matches.
Leading French sports daily L’Équipe summed up the widespread national disappointment, noting that Deschamps’ side were outperformed in every department of the game, “unable to live up to their dreams and to the hope they had inspired.”
Even France’s star players acknowledged the subpar showing, though captain Mbappé was quick to defend his embattled head coach, and pledged the squad would fight hard to secure a third-place finish for Deschamps when they face the loser of the other semifinal between England and Argentina this Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“Nothing changed about what Didier means to us as a French people. As a manager, as a player, he wrote an amazing story,” Mbappé said, after sharing a quick sideline hug with Deschamps following the final whistle. “There’s one game left for him, so we’re going to try to play the best game for him because he deserves it, and also the fans deserve to have a win and finish third in this World Cup.”
Much of France’s failure to threaten stemmed from the total shutdown of its high-profile attacking unit. The dynamic playmaking of Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, which had carried Les Bleus through the earlier rounds, never materialized against a sharp Spain defense that notched its sixth clean sheet in seven matches of the tournament.
Mbappé’s only clear-cut chance of the night came in the 67th minute, when his shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella and drifted just wide of the goal. By that point, Spain already held a comfortable 2-0 lead. Entering the semifinal, the 27-year-old French captain was tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the tournament lead in goals with eight, but he failed to add to his tally Tuesday. He picked up a yellow card in the 86th minute after a frustrating collision with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón, rushing toward the keeper as he bent to collect the ball and sending Simón tumbling to the turf.
Midfielder Rayan Cherki, speaking through a translator, summed up the team’s collective disappointment while looking ahead to future tournaments. “In so many ways, France was missing everything today. We’ll be back in four years, and we won’t make the same mistakes.”