Spain beat France 2-0 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 final against England or Argentina.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Pedro Porro completed the victory with a second-half goal for Luis de la Fuente’s European champions.
Referee Ivan Barton awarded Spain the penalty after France left-back Lucas Digne challenged winger Lamine Yamal inside the area. Oyarzabal beat goalkeeper Mike Maignan for his fifth goal of the tournament.
France suffered another setback when William Saliba left the field with a recurring lower-back injury. Maxence Lacroix replaced the centre-back before halftime.
Didier Deschamps’ team entered the interval without a shot on target. The France coach introduced Désiré Doué for Bradley Barcola in the 57th minute, but Spain doubled their lead one minute later.
Porro exchanged passes with Dani Olmo near the penalty area before placing his finish beyond Maignan. France later introduced Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki but failed to break down Spain’s defence.
Spain has conceded only one goal during the tournament. Victory moved the 2010 champions within one match of winning the first 48-team World Cup.
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France will contest the third-place playoff after reaching the previous two finals. Deschamps is due to step down after the tournament, following 14 years in charge.
England will face defending champions Argentina in the second semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to play Spain.
