ARLINGTON, Texas—There is only one team in world soccer it would be possible to identify in completely blank jerseys. They are the well-oiled collection of busy little players who keep the ball like no one else—the side that measures every touch, weaves complex passing patterns and never, ever seems flustered.
It would also be the team that rolled into Dallas on Tuesday, picked apart France, and left no doubt about its identity.
Make no mistake: Spain is heading back to the World Cup final.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Semi Final – France v Spain – Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. – July 14, 2026 France’s Dayot Upamecano looks dejected after the match as France are eliminated as Spain players celebrate after qualifying for the World Cup final REUTERS/Albert Gea
La Roja’s 2-0 victory over the former favorites to lift this trophy means that it will have a chance at its second title, 16 years after its first. The defending European champion, with its endless pipeline of talent, now awaits the winner of England vs. Argentina on Wednesday.
But if Spain was a picture of tactical discipline, France found itself strangely devoid of the verve or precision that had carried it this far. Matched up against the most tactically sophisticated team at the tournament, Les Bleus fell into traps, made mistakes, and never punched through Spain’s shifting wall of defenders. At the final whistle, they slumped to the turf in a daze while a familiar Spanish party exploded around them.
Two years ago, France had lost a semifinal at the Euros to the same opponents and vowed to retool. Tuesday proved that they hadn’t evolved enough.
The strangest part is that Spain’s journey through this World Cup has unfolded almost under the radar. La Roja landed in America over a month ago and set up shop at a ritzy private school in Chattanooga, Tenn. of all places. From there, it would launch its campaign to return to the top of world soccer.
Even after its rocky start, a scoreless draw against tiny Cape Verde, La Roja grew into the tournament. In every round, it did just enough, relying on suffocating defense and its trademark depth. It dispatched Austria in the round of 32, then posted back-to-back one goal victories with desperately late goals against Portugal and Belgium.
And Spain had done all of it without a major contribution from its only superstar, the 19-year-old Barcelona phenom Lamine Yamal.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Semi Final – France v Spain – Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. – July 14, 2026 France’s Kylian Mbappe in action with Spain’s Lamine Yamal REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
At least, it had until Tuesday. Roaming Spain’s right wing, Yamal caused enough problems for France that he drew a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. As French fullback Lucas Digne attempted to clear his own header, he swung around to boot the ball and kicked Yamal instead.
Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty kick and Les Bleus never quite recovered. Pedro Porro’s strike in the 58th minute arrived like a hook to the jaw.
Though France coach Didier Deschamps tweaked his personnel and shuffled his assortment of dazzling attackers, nothing seemed to click. Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, hardly touched the ball. Bradley Barcola, brought in for his pace, ran down blind alleys. And Kylian Mbappé, France’s do-it-all talisman, never found room to operate.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Semi Final – France v Spain – Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. – July 14, 2026 France’s Kylian Mbappe looks dejected after the match as France are eliminated from the World Cup REUTERS/Lee Smith
There would be no steamrolling at this stage of the competition, a level several notches above anything that had come before. In this battle of profoundly European tactics, held in the heart of Texas, each side managed only two shots on goal.
The difference for Spain was that both of them went in.
Write to Joshua Robinson at Joshua.Robinson@wsj.com
