Four Takeaways From Spain's Record Breaking Stroll Into World Cup Final

The semifinal at AT&T Stadium ended 2–0, but the way in which Spain decidedly toyed with France for long periods of the contest make the scoreline seem flattering for Les Bleus.

La Roja is bound to the 2026 World Cup final after completely dominating tournament favorite France in the semifinal on Tuesday afternoon, extending its unbeaten run to 37 matches, equaling the all-time international record held by Italy.

Spain looked the better team from the start and it capitalized on a gift in the form of Lucas Digne's egregious penalty that Mikel Oyarzabal turned into his fifth goal of the World Cup 22 minutes in. Incredibly, Les Bleus looked completely out of sorts and Spain eventually doubled its advantage as Pedro Porro finished off one of the best team goals of the tournament just past the hour mark.

Although France kept bringing on attackers, Luis de la Fuente's side looked closer to adding a third than Les Bleus from getting back in the game.

For the third straight year, Spain outclassed France in the semifinals of an international tournament. Now, La Roja will play in its second World Cup final 16 years later, and given its dominance against France, it will arrive to MetLife Stadium on Sunday favored to add a second star to the crest.

Mikel Oyarzabal's Historic World Cup

Mikel Oyarzabal isn't the most glamorous of center forwards, he's not the biggest of names, but he is the exact profile of striker Spain require. The Real Sociedad star is having a historic summer to go along with his historic season.

Many expected Lamine Yamal to step up and take the penalty he won, but it was Oyarzabal, La Roja's quiet leader, who took the ball and forgot this was the World Cup of poorly-taken stutter penalties, instead firing a bullet into the side netting to give Spain the early lead.

It was Oyarzabal's fifth strike in the 2026 World Cup, going level with David Villa in 2010 and Emilio Butragueño in 1986 for the joint-most goals by a Spanish player in a single World Cup campaign.

The goal also marked Oyarzabal's 14th for Spain during 2025–26, overtaking Villa's record of 13 in 2008–09.

Oyzarzabal's style won't steal any headlines, but the Basque finisher is one of the most intelligent strikers on the planet, and his nose for goal is up there with the top goalscorers in international soccer.

One Ballon d'Or Winner Showed Up

This World Cup has been defined by superstar attackers who have headlined one of the most star-studded Golden Boot races in tournament history. But in the World Cup of stars, Rodri has made a point to make everyone remember why he's less than two years removed of winning the Ballon d'Or award. Against France, the Manchester City midfielder enjoyed himself.

From the moment the game started, Rodri almost single-handedly nullified the brilliant Michael Olise, frustrating him to the point that he either dropped much deeper to try and receive the ball or he reverted back to operating on the right wing to try his luck against Marc Cucurella.

As a result, reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé regularly had to drift centrally into Rodri's territory and he disappeared from the match because of the midfielder's all-conquering dominance in the middle of the park.

Rodri spent the better part of the last two seasons battling constant injuries that relegated him from the spotlight. Over the past month, though, he's emphatically returned to the level that made him the driving force of Manchester City's recent era of dominance.

He was once again an absolute force against France, showcasing exactly why he's already an all-time great midfielder.

The Best Center Back Duo of the World Cup

The majority of the talk on the eve of the match was focused on how was Spain going to contain France's fearsome foursome up front, an attack that had scored 16 goals in the tournament so far.

Maybe the focus should've been going to opposite direction: How can France bypass the best defense of the entire tournament? After 90 frustrating minutes, the answer became obvious: Les Bleus couldn't.

With Sergio Ramos and Carles Puyol watching from the stands, Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte resumed their simply sensational World Cup campaign. It's not that the pair of center backs contained France's potent attack, it's that they seemed like they barely had to break a sweat.

France could only muster a feeble 0.30 expected goals, and all three of its shots on goal came after the 80th minute, two during stoppage time. The Laporte-Cubarsí duo completely shut down any potential threat Kylian Mbappé could represent. The work of Spain's fullbacks was also stellar, but what La Roja's center back partnership is producing this summer is astonishing. Today, they combined to register 13 defensive contributions.

What the pair of defenders offer on the ball, though, is just as impressive. Cubarsí and Laporte are gifted passers and are comfortable absorbing pressure and finding the open man. The action of Spain's second goal starts with defenders beautifully toying with France's pressure before progressing up the pitch.

Entering the tournament, Laporte was mostly viewed as a has-been that spent two years in the Saudi Pro League before settling for an inglorious return to boyhood side Athletic Club. Cubarsí's stock took a hit after the teenager was caught at the scene of the crime on multiple occasions thanks to Hansi Flick's kamikaze high line in Barcelona. The pair have spent the past month reminding the world they're more than capable of shutting down the best attackers on the planet.

Many believed Spain's backline and the center back pairing in particular would be the team's Achilles heel this summer. Now, Spain is a World Cup finalist having conceded just one goal through seven games and having emphatically silenced the most fearsome attack in international soccer.

The Best Team Won

Spain erased France from the pitch at AT&T Stadium not because it had comparable superstar quality players, but because De la Fuente's collection of talents simply form a much better team, with superior depth and boast specific profiles that make La Roja a well-oiled machine.

Pedro Porro went from contributing to Tottenham Hotspur's near relegation on the fringes of the international setup to now scoring Spain's second and helping shut down Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué. Dani Olmo had an up-and-down season for Barcelona but it feels like every time he plays under De la Fuente he blossoms into the definition of a modern-day No. 10-his assist for Porro's goal is a clear example.

Yes, Spain boast world class talent, but it's also a team capable of dominating France on a day in which Lamine Yamal completed just one dribble, Pedri started on the bench and Nico Williams played only the last 10 minutes.

No team has exploited its full 26-player roster better than De la Fuente's Spain this summer. Every single player seemingly understand their specific assignment.

For a moment, against the daunting France, the "Olé! Olé!" chants coming from the stands as La Roja kept possession were entirely justified. It felt as if it was a complete mismatch with only one team on the pitch-De la Fuente's perfect ensemble.

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 3:30 PM.