ARLINGTON, Texas — Spain advanced to the final of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory against France on Tuesday.
Spain now awaits the winner of Wednesday’s match between defending champion Argentina and England. That game will be played in Atlanta on Wednesday.
France failed in its quest to reach the final of the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament,
Spain’s victory ended France’s bid to reach a World Cup final for the third consecutive tournament, ESPN reported. The other terms reaching three straight finals were Germany from 1982 to 1990 and Brazil from 1994 to 2002, according to the sports news website.
The moment Spain secured its first trip to the FIFA World Cup Final since 2010 🏆 pic.twitter.com/EbsdJsvgvC
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 14, 2026
Spain will be shooting for its second World Cup crown. In 2010, the Spaniards defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the 116th minute of extra time. Andrés Iniesta scored to give Spain the victory.
On Tuesday, Spain scored on a first-half penalty kick from Mikel Oyarzabal and on an early second-half goal by Pedro Porro, ESPN reported.
“We gave it our all in order just to go through to the final,” Porro said after the match. “We knew that we’re a very tough team, we’re doing things really well. This is our team, it’s not about me.”
The European Champions looked like a well-oiled machine as they were strong in possession of the ball and did a great job of limiting the impact of France stars Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé to take a 1-0 lead into the break.
Spain’s defense held France at bay, with central defender Rodri controlling the ball in the middle of the pitch.
“It was a collective effort of everyone. Today we did best our best performance of the World Cup so far,” Rodri said. “France is a very strong team and can punish you everywhere. But everyone (on the Spanish squadn) rose to the level.
“I said it before. We are showing the character of being mature in big moments and this was the most important moment to wait for. Because in the big moments (France) will punish you, so the composure was the key.”
France did not have a shot on target until the 81st minute, The Athletic reported. Substitute Desire Doue underhit an attempted lob, according to the website.
France’s Kylian Mbappé was blanked on Tuesday and finished the tournament with eight goals. He is tied with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, ESPN reported.
Messi will have a chance to add to that total on Wednesday. England’s Harry Kane has six goals, the sports news outlet reported.
With its 37th straight victory, Spain tied Italy for the most consecutive matches without a loss.
“It means a lot, because we have only been (to the final) twice in our history so we want to win the World Cup,” Rodri said. “We need to rest now and see what we can improve because we want to win the next one.”
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