World Cup 2026: Semifinal- Spain vs France

We had our first semifinal today as Spain took on France at the Dallas Stadium. I was looking forward to this game and not just because it was a return to World Cup action after a couple days off. Spain and France have for my money been the best two teams at this tournament, with France being my favorite to win it all once we got to the knockouts. Plus, the two teams have recent history. Spain beat France 2-1 two years ago in the Semifinals of the Euros on their way to winning it all. It was setting up to be an all-timer. Did we get one?

Spain 2-0 France

The answer is no. Spain had control of this one from start to finish. Surprisingly, it wasn't just due to possession. It was practically equal by the end of the game with Spain finishing with 51%. Instead, it was defensive organization and winning the ball back that got it done for the Spaniards.

The first huge moment came around 20 minutes in when Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal in the box. It was a bizarre one because Digne had his back to Yamal. He turned his body to play a ball that was coming down right when Yamal showed up and he kicked him. It was very clearly a penalty but also one that you hate to see for how innocuous it was. Mikel Oyarzabal would go on to convert it, with Mike Maignan guessing the right way but unable to get across in time. Less than ten minutes later, France would lose defender William Saliba to injury making a poor first half even worse.

The second half wasn't any better for the French. Spain continued to defend well and limit the space for France going forward. And then in the 58th minute, Pedro Porro would give Spain a two goal lead. He would play the ball towards Dani Olmo in the box and Olmo was able to get enough of a touch on it to put it in Porro's path where he'd calmly finish past Maignan. Lamine Yamal hit the back of the net just three minutes later but it was ruled out for a tight offside. Even when France were pushing for a goal for the rest of the second half, they couldn't find anything. They ended the game with zero big chances and 0.3xG. It was remarkable how average they looked on the night. Spain would hold on to the 2-0 lead quite comfortably and earn their place in the final.

I first want to touch on France's exit before getting into Spain. This is a pretty big letdown for France. They were looking to make their third consecutive appearance in a World Cup Final after winning it in 2018 over Croatia and losing in 2022 to Argentina. But it isn't the fact that they missed out as much as it is about how they played today. It just wasn't good enough for a team of their caliber. If they were in this game and maybe lost in extra time or on penalties, it would be upsetting of course but you wouldn't feel a huge sense of disappointment. The only thing I can really say here is that they need to figure out a way to get past a Spain team that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

As for Spain, they are just too efficient. They've only conceded one goal all tournament and that came in the Quarterfinal against Belgium. And it isn't even because goalkeeper Unai Simon has been especially good. It's more that the guys in front of him have allowed almost nothing. It's also crazy to think that the only team they haven't beaten this World Cup so far is Cape Verde. Spain can also turn on the style when they need to with players like Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams in attack. But the most impressive thing to me is how quickly they can win the ball back after losing it. I touched on this in a previous blog but when you're the best possession team in the world and you can quickly counter press, it just isn't fair. Spain will be incredibly difficult to beat in the final no matter if it's England or Argentina.

That'll be all on this first Semifinal. Tomorrow we get that England vs Argentina matchup. I know I've been picking the games lately but honestly, I have no idea how that one is going to go. So I'm going to take a cop out and just say it's going to be a fun one. Until then!