Spain's national football team has become the first finalist of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the semifinal match, Luis de la Fuente's side confidently defeated France 2-0.

Goals for the winners were scored by Mikel Oyarzabal (22nd minute) and Pedro Porro (58th). Oyarzabal netted his fifth goal of the tournament, equaling the Spanish record for most goals in a single World Cup. Previously, Emilio Butragueño in 1986 and David Villa in the victorious 2010 campaign achieved this feat.

Spain reached the World Cup final for the first time since 2010, when the team won its first world title by defeating the Netherlands in the final.

For France, this is the first failure to reach the World Cup final since 2014. After losing in the quarterfinals of that tournament, the French won the 2018 World Cup and lost to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 final.

Spain also extended its unbeaten run to 37 matches, equaling the record set by Italy, who went undefeated from 2018 to 2021.

The semifinal was Didier Deschamps' penultimate match as head coach of France. After the World Cup, he is expected to be replaced by Zinedine Zidane.

Notably, Spain and France have met in the semifinals of three consecutive major tournaments. Previously, Spain defeated France in the Euro 2024 semifinals (2-1) and the Nations League semifinals (5-4).

In the World Cup final, scheduled for July 19, Spain will face the winner of the second semifinal between England and Argentina.

Source: kun.uz