Full Time: Spain 2-0 France. Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty and a Pedro Porro strike sent Spain into the World Cup final at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 14, 2026 -- eliminating Kylian Mbappe and France and ending his bid to catch Lionel Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record. Spain now wait to learn their final opponent: England or Argentina, who meet today, July 15, in Atlanta.

The Result

Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal in the box in the 22nd minute, and Oyarzabal sent the penalty down the middle to put Spain ahead. Spain doubled the lead in the 58th minute when Pedro Porro finished off a give-and-go with Dani Olmo. France created little in reply -- just 0.31 expected goals from 10 shots -- as Spain's midfield trio of Rodri, Olmo and Fabian Ruiz consistently outnumbered Rabiot and Tchouameni. Yamal thought he had a third late on but was flagged offside.

"We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield," Mbappe said afterward. "And against Spain, that's a real problem." France's failure to press Spain high up the pitch let the European champions settle into their preferred slow, controlled rhythm for most of the night.

What It Means

Spain reach their second World Cup final in three tournaments, and can match the achievement of 2010 by winning it. France's elimination ends Mbappe's hopes of a third straight World Cup final and, for now, his chase of Messi's record of 21 World Cup goals. Didier Deschamps' side exit having gone unbeaten until this semifinal, with wins over Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco along the way.

Today: England vs Argentina, the Final's Other Half

The second semifinal kicks off today, July 15, at 3pm ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta -- one of international football's oldest rivalries renewed with a World Cup final spot on the line. Argentina arrive unbeaten in their last five matches, having scored 12 goals in that stretch, with Lionel Messi the tournament's joint-top scorer on eight goals. England have won four of their last five, built around Jude Bellingham's extra-time heroics against Norway in the quarterfinals; Bellingham and Harry Kane are tied for fourth on the World Cup 2026 scoring chart with six goals each.

Whoever wins plays Spain in the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The loser plays the third-place match on July 18 in Miami.

Match Details

  • Fixture: Spain 2-0 France, Semifinal 1 -- AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, July 14, 2026
  • Scorers: Oyarzabal 22' (pen), Porro 58' (Spain)
  • Next up: England vs Argentina, Semifinal 2 -- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 3pm ET today, July 15. See our match page.
  • The final: July 19, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

WorldCupElite will keep tracking the verified results as the World Cup 2026 final takes shape. For the full picture, see our match hub.

Sources & Further Reading