Spain Wiretap

Kylian Mbappe was critical of France's tactics following their 2-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas. France was attempting to reach a third consecutive World Cup final.

"We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that's hard," Mbappe said after the game. "Fabian [Ruiz] and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us."

Spain took an early lead when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty following a foul drawn by Lamine Yamal against Lucas Digne.

"We didn't play the game we wanted, technically, tactically," Mbappé said. "When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win. Spain respected their game plan and what the team usually does. They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them high so they could not install their rhythm.

"Because they are better than us at controlling a game. We didn't manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have."

Mbappe also blamed mistakes made by the players.

"Even when we recovered the ball, our first touches were not good enough. That gives a defeat. It is a huge disappointment. But if we are objective, we didn't put all the ingredients to go to the final," Mbappé said.

Spain defeated France 2-0 Tuesday in the World Cup semifinals in Dallas, reaching the final for the first time in 15 years, per ESPN. Spain held a 1.63 to 0.31 edge in expected goals.

Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 22nd-minute penalty after Lamine Yamal drew a foul from Lucas Digne in the box. The goal was Oyarzabal's fifth of the tournament and 30th in 60 international appearances for Spain. Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute, finishing a give-and-go with Dani Olmo. Yamal had a goal disallowed shortly after on a close offside ruling.

It marked the third consecutive summer that Spain eliminated France in a major tournament semifinal, following a 2-1 victory in the 2024 European Championship and a 5-4 Nations League win last year.

France, the top-ranked team in FIFA's world rankings, had been seeking to become just the third nation to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. Kylian Mbappe and Les Bleus will instead play in the third-place match Saturday in Miami Gardens.

Spain advance to the World Cup final Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where they await the winner of Wednesday's Argentina-England semifinal in Atlanta.

Argentina and England have joined France and Spain in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Both Argentina and England needed extra time to advance in the quarterfinals over Switzerland and Norway respectively. 

France has reached the semifinals in three consecutive World Cups, while Argentina has reached three of the past four World Cups. Argentina has never previously lost a semifinal in six previous appearances. 

England has reached the semifinals in two of the past three. Spain most recently reached the semifinals in 2010 when they won the World Cup over the Netherlands. 

World Cup Semifinal/Top-4 Appearances By Country and Year

Here's the updated full list including 2026:

• Germany: 13 (1934, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
• Brazil: 11 (1938, 1950, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2014)
• France: 8 (1958, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2018, 2022, 2026)
• Italy: 8 (1934, 1938, 1970, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994, 2006)
• Argentina: 7 (1930, 1978, 1986, 1990, 2014, 2022, 2026)
• Netherlands: 5 (1974, 1978, 1998, 2010, 2014)
• Uruguay: 5 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1970, 2010)
• England: 4 (1966, 1990, 2018, 2026)
• Sweden: 4 (1938, 1950, 1958, 1994)
• Croatia: 3 (1998, 2018, 2022)
• Spain: 3 (1950, 2010, 2026)
• Austria: 2 (1934, 1954)
• Belgium: 2 (1986, 2018)
• Czechoslovakia: 2 (1934, 1962)
• Hungary: 2 (1938, 1954)
• Poland: 2 (1974, 1982)
• Portugal: 2 (1966, 2006)
• Yugoslavia: 2 (1930, 1962)
• Bulgaria: 1 (1994)
• Chile: 1 (1962)
• Morocco: 1 (2022)
• South Korea: 1 (2002)
• Soviet Union: 1 (1966)
• Turkey: 1 (2002)
• United States: 1 (1930)

Lamine Yamal declared Spain has nothing to fear ahead of Tuesday's World Cup semifinal against France in Arlington, Texas. The winger spoke to reporters following Spain's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Belgium on Friday.

Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute to send Spain past Belgium and set up the semifinal matchup. France advanced Thursday with a 2-0 win over Morocco.

The meeting will mark the third match between Spain and France in three years. Spain won both previous games, defeating France in the 2024 European Championship semifinals and the 2025 UEFA Nations League.

"If France should fear anyone, it's us," said Yamal. "We have knocked them out [before]. We have beat them two times. Honestly, I think we're the two best teams at the World Cup, so we'll see what happens, but we do not have any fear."

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente echoed Yamal's confidence ahead of the matchup.

"The expectations are very, very high for the next game," said de la Fuente. "We're concentrated on this next game and very well aware of the potential of our opponent at the next game. But also we are very clear that we are able to beat France.

"We have the quality and it's a semifinal again. We've had a semifinal against them. We were successful. The game will be very demanding. It'll be energetic. We'll need to have the best version of ourselves."

Spain has needed late goals to advance through the knockout rounds, with Merino scoring the decisive winners against both Portugal and Belgium. Yamal said opponents sitting deep against Spain has masked the team's quality.

"It may seem as if we're not playing great, but every team we play sits back against us," said Yamal. "No one has gone toe-to-toe with us, but in the end we got the win again today. That is the most important thing.

"We are really happy to be in the semifinal. We've been here for a long time now and we want to stay until the final."

This will be Spain's second World Cup semifinal appearance and first since winning the tournament in 2010. France is aiming to reach its third consecutive World Cup final. Yamal, who turns 19 on Monday, has scored one goal in six appearances at this tournament.

Mikel Merino scored an 88th-minute winner for the second time in three matches as Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 Friday in the World Cup quarterfinals in Los Angeles, per ESPN. Spain held a 1.96 to 0.34 edge in xG (expected goals).

Fabian Ruiz put Spain ahead in the 30th minute after Thibaut Courtois parried a Dani Olmo shot, with the ball deflecting off Timothy Castagne and into the net. Charles De Ketelaere leveled for Belgium 11 minutes later, powering a header from Castagne's cross past Unai Simon. The goal ended Spain's World Cup shutout streak at 650 minutes, dating to the 2022 group stage.

Belgium's afternoon unraveled in the final 20 minutes. Courtois was forced off in the 71st minute with an apparent thigh injury, visibly emotional as he departed. Replacement Senne Lammens could only parry Pau Cubarsi's long-range drive, and Merino reacted fastest to lift the loose ball into the net.

Belgium had also lost Youri Tielemans to injury before kickoff, with Hans Vanaken stepping in as a late replacement.

Merino reflected on his remarkable run of decisive contributions.

"It seems like a coincidence but, if you go in prepared, it can happen again," said Merino. "I'm thrilled. I doubt it will happen again, but we'll see.

"Two matches to win a World Cup is a dream come true. Hopefully we can achieve it."

Luis de la Fuente embraced the semifinal challenge ahead.

"It's an honor to coach a team so committed and eager to improve," said de la Fuente. "It's fair to think we can beat France. We're going to work hard for it. A great team is going to face another great team."

Spain meet France in the semifinals in Dallas. France are -144 favorites to advance with an implied probability of 59 percent, according to the latest World Cup odds.

France enters the World Cup quarterfinals as the tournament favorite with 33 percent odds to win the title, according to the latest Polymarket odds. Argentina ranks second at 21 percent.

France and Argentina, who met in the 2022 World Cup final, are on opposite sides of the bracket and would meet in the final again if they each win their next two matches. France holds a 54 percent chance of winning its next two matches to reach the final.

France will first face Morocco in the quarterfinals, with a potential semifinal matchup against the winner of Spain and Belgium. Argentina will take on Switzerland before a possible semifinal against the winner between England and Norway.

Spain entered the tournament as a slight World Cup favorite ahead of France before slipping following a scoreless draw with Cape Verde. Cape Verde nearly upset Argentina in the subsequent round of 32.

Spain holds the best xG expected goals mark among remaining teams at +1.70, having yet to concede a goal this tournament. Argentina and France rank second and third in that category, with England, Morocco, Belgium and Norway trailing behind.

2026 World Cup Title Odds:

1. France: 33%
2. Argentina: 21%
3. Spain: 19%
4. England: 16%
5. Norway: 6%
6. Morocco: 3%
7. Belgium: 2%
8. Switzerland: 2%

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Spain defeated Austria 3-0 Thursday in the round of 32 at SoFi Stadium, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice and Lamine Yamal earning MVP honors in a commanding victory. Spain held a 2.80 to 0.29 edge in xG (expected goals).

Oyarzabal now has four goals and an assist at the tournament after bookending a Pedro Porro header. 

Yamal, 18, played 85 minutes in his most extended World Cup appearance after returning from injury. He registered six shots, four on target, created two chances and won possession five times.

"The World Cup starts now," said Yamal. "If you lose, you go home [in the knockout phase]. And we don't want that, none of us want that."

Yamal was direct about his physical condition heading into the knockout rounds.

"I'm good. Now I'm 100%," he said. "I'm ready to play whatever the boss wants. I need to keep resting and looking after myself, but I'm 100%.

"We all wanted to go to Dallas and play the last 16. Little by little, I'm feeling like myself again, making the runs I need to, dribbling, and I'm very happy."

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was encouraged but measured in his assessment.

"I have many reasons to be happy today," said de la Fuente. "We won, and the image of the team was fantastic. ... We feel great. It's a process, but in the next match there's still room for improvement.

"Perhaps you saw what you think is the best of us, but our spirit is to keep on improving. This team hasn't reached its limit, there's much to do. I thank [Rangnick] for his words, but we're not yet satisfied."

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick offered a pointed endorsement, predicting Spain could win the tournament and calling Yamal "one of the biggest talents we've seen at his age."

Spain face Portugal on Monday in Dallas.

Spain eliminated Uruguay from the World Cup with a 1-0 victory Friday, capitalizing on another goalkeeping error by Fernando Muslera to secure top spot in Group H.

Alex Baena scored the decisive goal in the 42nd minute after Muslera could not fully clear his shot from inside the area. Spain dominated the match statistically, finishing with a 0.86-to-0.20 edge in expected goals. The blunder marked the third by the 40-year-old Muslera at this tournament, prompting coach Marcelo Bielsa to substitute him at halftime.

Uruguay finishes the group stage without a win across three matches, exiting as the highest-ranked team eliminated so far at 19th in the FIFA standings. Cape Verde claimed second place in the group with a scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia earlier Friday, edging both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia by a single point and denying Uruguay a path to advance as one of the best third-place finishers.

Tension marked the closing stages, with Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio sent off in stoppage time for a tackle on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. Several Uruguay players cried on the field after the final whistle, and fans booed the team as it departed. Uruguay also lost midfielder Manuel Ugarte to an apparent knee injury late in the first half, with the player eventually stretchered off.

Spain, the reigning European champion, opened the tournament with a stunning scoreless draw against Cape Verde before rebounding with a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. The team has not advanced past the round of 16 since winning its only World Cup title in 2010.

Spain will face the second-place finisher from Group J, either Austria or Algeria, on Thursday in Inglewood, California.

Lamine Yamal scored 10 minutes into his first World Cup start, helping Spain rebound from a stunning opening draw with a 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Atlanta.

Yamal converted a low cross from Mikel Oyarzabal at the far post, becoming the eighth-youngest scorer in World Cup history. The goal eased tension after Spain, one of the tournament favorites, was held scoreless by Cape Verde in its opener.

Oyarzabal, who had drawn criticism for going untouched by the ball through 30 minutes against Cape Verde, set up Yamal's goal and then scored twice himself in the 21st and 24th minutes. Spain had built a three-goal lead before the first hydration break, prompting coach Luis de la Fuente to substitute both scorers at halftime.

Marc Cucurella's shot deflected off Hassan Altambakti for an own goal four minutes into the second half, extending Spain's advantage to four. Spain had a 2.30 to 0.15 edge over Saudi Arabia in xG (expected goals).

The 18-year-old Yamal, who had appeared only as a second-half substitute against Cape Verde, had already created several chances before his goal arrived. He helped Spain win the 2024 European Championship at just 16 years old and entered the tournament under scrutiny after missing the end of his club season with a hamstring injury.

A capacity crowd at Atlanta Stadium, largely composed of Spain supporters, erupted when Yamal emerged for warmups and again when he celebrated his goal by dropping to his knees and kissing the turf.

Spain has not advanced past the round of 16 since winning the World Cup in 2010, claiming only three victories at the tournament since that title.

Spain forward Lamine Yamal said he feels prepared to face Saudi Arabia on Sunday but cautioned that he is not yet ready to play a full 90 minutes following his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The Barcelona star entered Friday's interview with Spanish television after managing just 30 minutes off the bench in Spain's scoreless World Cup opener against Cape Verde.

"I feel really good. I'm excited above all, I've been off the field for a long time," said Yamal. "I'm looking forward to Sunday. I feel good physically, I'm ready for whatever the boss wants. I know that doesn't mean I'm going to play, but I'm ready.

"It's very early, it's unnecessary to play 90 minutes, I have a process of adaptation, it isn't the moment to play a full game but I'll play the minutes the boss wants."

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said his side's inability to use Yamal beyond 30 minutes against Cape Verde limited their attack. "As soon as Lamine came on, he changed how they were playing," said De la Fuente. "It was the amount of time we thought he could play. We're sure in the next game the team will do better."

Teammate Pau Cubarsi expressed confidence in Spain's depth regardless of Yamal's role. "I think we have a spectacular, magnificent squad," said Cubarsi. "All the players can perform at the highest level. We all know how good Lamine is, so if he can get in, he will help us a lot. But I think those who can make up for it will do it just as well or better."

Spain generated 2.29 expected goals and produced 27 shots in the Cape Verde draw, but goalkeeper Vozinha turned away seven attempts to preserve the stalemate. The result puts added pressure on Spain to secure three points against Saudi Arabia.

"I think we have to take a step forward, as we have been doing in the last few years," said Cubarsi. "We have to give our all, because it's like a final. I think the whole team knows the importance of this match.

"I think we're going to give it our all, as we have always done. We will try to win and give our all."