Spain advanced to the 2026 World Cup final after a decisive 2-0 victory over tournament favorites France on July 14, 2026. The result ends the campaign for several Serie A players, including Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, midfielder Adrien Rabiot, and Roma’s Manu Koné. Spain is now set to compete for the title on July 19 in New Jersey, where they will face either England or Argentina. France, meanwhile, will move on to the third-place play-off match scheduled for July 18.
France entered the match having maintained a perfect winning streak throughout the tournament. Managerial adjustments saw Bradley Barcola replace Désiré Doué in the starting lineup, while Manu Koné was moved to the bench to accommodate the return of Aurelien Tchaoumeni following a muscular injury. Spain, which had allowed only a single goal in their previous six matches, opted for Fabian Ruiz in midfield over Pedri.
The breakthrough occurred when Spain was awarded a penalty after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal inside the box. Mikel Oyarzabal successfully converted the spot-kick against Mike Maignan to put Spain in front. The French side suffered a further blow shortly after when William Saliba was forced off the pitch with a back injury. Following the restart, Adrien Rabiot—who was already carrying a yellow card—was replaced by Manu Koné to avoid a potential dismissal.
Spain extended their lead through a well-executed attacking sequence that culminated in Pedro Porro firing a shot into the near post after a give-and-go with Dani Olmo. Although Lamine Yamal had a subsequent goal disallowed for offside and Kylian Mbappé saw a strike deflected inches wide by Marc Cucurella, France struggled to find a way back into the game. Unai Simon’s first real test was sprinting off his line to clear from Kylian Mbappé at the 42nd minute, then Mbappé just failed to get on the end of a fizzing Jules Koundé cross. France's best opportunity to score arose when goalkeeper Unai Simon rushed off his line, but he recovered in time to prevent Désiré Doué from finding the net, sealing the 2-0 victory for the Spaniards.
Spain conceded only one goal in six World Cup games, during the 2-1 victory over Belgium, and again picked ex-Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz rather than Pedri.
Mikel Oyarzabal scores from the spot and Spain lead France! 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/pJManVOZf3
