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Spain springboards into the World Cup final, knocks off France
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by teenager Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro added another goal and Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday.
A day after his 19th birthday, Yamal was denied a goal on a close offside call that came soon after Porro’s give-and-go with Dani Olmo in the 58th minute had put Spain up 2-0. But it was Yamal’s smart play against a veteran defender that put Spain in the lead.
“They were facing the best team in the world,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said.
Spain, which will play in the final for only the second time, will face either defending champion Argentina or England on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“So difficult to get to this moment, but we want more,” midfielder Rodri said. “We want to win this World Cup.”
Kylian Mbappé and France, FIFA’s top-ranked team, were trying to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. They instead will play in the third-place game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, the day before the final at MetLife Stadium across the river from New York City.
This win on soccer’s biggest stage marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match. Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals just days before his 17th birthday, and La Roja won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.
After a quarterfinal win over Belgium last Friday, Yamal said he believed France should fear Spain. Those words certainly proved true.
“In so many ways, France was missing everything today,” France midfielder Rayan Cherki said through an interpreter. “Truly, everything was missing today. We’ll be back in four years and we won’t make the same mistakes.”
Oyarzabal’s penalty kick in the 22nd minute came after Yamal drew a foul when kicked by defender Lucas Digne.
After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge in the penalty area. The ball hit off the elbow of the leaping teen before he was kicked by Digne, playing in his 63rd game for France only six days before his 33rd birthday.
Oyarzabal’s fifth goal of this year’s World Cup marked the first time either team has trailed in their seven games in this tournament. It was his 30th goal in 60 international games for Spain.
For the second goal, Porro broke free and received a pass back from Olmo, who got the touch just before getting knocked off his feet by defender Dayot Upamecano.
“We gave it our all in order just to go through to the final,” Porro said. “We knew that we’re a very tough team, we’re doing things really well. This is our team, it’s not about me.”
France had allowed only two goals in its first six games in this tournament. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón has six shutouts while allowing only one goal in seven games so far.
Spain had two other real scoring chances in the first half.
There was a free kick from just beyond the box after Adrien Rabiot drew a yellow card for a foul on Olmo in the eighth minute. Alex Baena’s kick went directly into the wall of French players.
After France goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s attempted clearing pass in the 38th minute instead went straight to Baena, there were several quick nifty passes before Fabian Ruiz’s close-range shot was denied.
Spain’s run at this year’s World Cup has extended its unbeaten streak in regular time to 37 matches (28 wins and nine draws) since March 2024. That broke the country’s previous record of 35 in a row from 2007-09.
The loss broke France’s record-matching streak of six consecutive World Cup wins, which also was accomplished in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
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Spain holds two-goal advantage over France at the hydration break
Spain 2, France 0, 69th minute
Spain continues to maintain its advantage over France as the teams reach the second-half hydration break. France is running out of time to rally while Spain is eyeing its first World Cup final appearance since 2010. Moments before the break, Kylian Mbappé just missed a shot that would have closed the gap.
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Spain extends the lead over France on Pedro Porro goal
Spain 2, France 0, 58th minute
France had never trailed in this World Cup before today, and now it must dig out of an even deeper hole after Pedro Porro took a return pass and smashed it past the French goalkeeper to put Spain up by two scores. Spain has only conceded one goal in this World Cup, and France will need at least two to keep its hopes alive.
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France and Spain off and running in the second half in Arlington
Spain 1, France 0, 48th minute
The second half has begun in this first World Cup semifinal match in Arlington, Texas.
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Spain holds one-goal lead at halftime against France
Spain 1, France 0, halftime
Spain, in pursuit of its first World Cup final appearance since 2010, holds the advantage over France in Arlington, Texas. France, looking to reach its third straight World Cup final, had not trailed in this tournament until today. Spain nearly took a two-goal advantage late in the first half but pushed a shot wide.
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Spain strikes first, converts penalty kick to take lead over France
Spain 1, France 0, 22nd minute
France is trailing for the first time in this tournament after Spain was awarded a penalty kick, which Mikel Oyarzabal converted for the semifinal match’s opening score. Oyarzabal, who scored his fifth goal of the tournament, got the opportunity from the spot after Lamine Yamal drew contact in the penalty area.
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Spain and France get underway in Arlington for a spot in the final
This game would be far better suited as a final than a semifinal. Both are unbeaten — in fact, Spain is unbeaten in its last 36 games, one shy of the all-time record. For France, a win would put it in the final for a third straight World Cup while Spain is hoping to get back for the first time since 2010, when it won its only title. The teams got here in different ways. Spain has walked a razor’s edge, giving up just a single goal in the tournament and winning its past two games on late goals from substitute Mikel Merino. France has bludgeoned the opposition, scoring 16 goals while conceding just two. Kylian Mbappé has scored eight times and has 20 goals in 20 World Cup games, leaving him one back of Lionel Messi’s all-time record. It seems unjust that one of these teams will finish its World Cup in the third-place game.
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FIFA grass in NFL stadiums reignites debate over pro football’s use of artificial turf
FIFA’s natural grass transformation of SoFi Stadium and six other NFL stadiums with artificial surfaces for this summer’s World Cup reignited the debate over grass versus synthetic turf.
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis long ago took a side in the fight.
“I just always felt that football should be played on grass,” Davis told The Times. “That’s for safety purposes, No. 1. I want it to look like a game was played even if it’s an indoor field. You see grass stains and everything else. I wasn’t going to a stadium without it being grass once I knew that capability was there. Obviously, it added a lot of cost, but it’s worth it.”
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With World Cup glory on the line, Argentina fans flock to this family-run Valley mercado
On most mornings, in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, Mercado Buenos Aires is quiet. A few older Argentine men might sip coffee with medialunas and chat about soccer and politics in the family-owned deli.
But on a recent June afternoon, as Argentina faced off with Algeria in a group-stage match at the World Cup, soccer fans stood on tables, families in sky-blue-and-white Lionel Messi jerseys chanted in unison, and every goal sent the room into gleeful mayhem.
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How France went from World Cup embarrassment in South Africa to soccer superpower
ARLINGTON, Texas — Before it could rise in the World Cup, France first had to fall.
And the fall was spectacular.
In 2010, four years after reaching the final for the second time in three World Cups, the players revolted against coach Raymond Domenech during the tournament. In response, the managing director of the country’s soccer federation resigned in disgust, and the team left South Africa winless after scoring just once in three games.
That matched France’s worst World Cup performance in 76 years. The team, outsiders agreed, had become impossible to coach.
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Commentary: Trump’s World Cup meddling only made matters worse for rattled U.S. squad
SEATTLE — Is everybody happy now? You good, Mr. President?
Put our boys in a blender, President Trump did, with those phone calls to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Messed with their mojo by politicking to get American striker Folarin Balogun’s red card rescinded.
Trump struck out on all his appeals seeking to overturn the 2020 election results, but he can boast that he had a hand in getting a decision overturned in the 2026 World Cup.
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Searching for acceptance: How the World Cup drove Mexican Americans back to their roots
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s improbable World Cup run ended Sunday with a loss to England, but it didn’t keep the team’s heart and tenacity from delivering one success:
A notable increase in Mexican Americans venturing south to reconnect with their roots, language and culture, according to longtime observers and travel figures.
The trend, which emerged long before the World Cup, gained intensity against the backdrop of uncertainty in the United States generated by what many see as an anti-immigrant climate fueled by the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
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Commentary: Lionel Messi is the ultimate summer romance
Everyone knew going in that Lionel Messi would be the narrative centerpiece of the 2026 World Cup. Easily the most recognized name in the competition, Messi is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time and, as the captain of 2022 winner Argentina, he is the reigning World Cup champ. At 18, he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006 and has competed in every World Cup since. He celebrated his 39th birthday before this year’s knockout rounds began, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that this will be his last.
No matter what Messi did, or failed to do, it would be News. Everyone with even a passing interest in the event knew this. Including me.
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What are your most cherished memories of the 2026 World Cup in L.A.?
My favorite memory of the 2026 World Cup happened last month. By the late morning of June 18 in Koreatown, hours ahead of the Mexico vs. South Korea group-stage match, it was apparent that the neighborhood would be unrecognizable by kickoff.
I had heard rumblings about the Korean Festival Foundation’s watch party, but once I found out it would take place at Seoul International Park, I was almost dissuaded entirely. Although it is the beloved destination of my dog’s morning walks, its insignificant size and awkward location just off Olympic Boulevard didn’t seem appropriate for such a coveted event. So, I went to scout it out beforehand — and I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. There were already about 100 to 200 fans in the park, about six hours before the first whistle; laughing, drinking, lending a hand to vendor setups.
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Commentary: SoFi Stadium proves to be one of the biggest stars of the 2026 World Cup
Erling Haaland and SoFi Stadium, ladies and gentlemen. Your breakout stars of the World Cup.
We’ve all fallen for the blond forward who has rowed Norway to its first World Cup quarterfinal berth — and also for SoFi Stadium.
Or “Los Angeles Stadium,” FIFA’s designation for the $5.5-billion architectural masterpiece that welcomed the world to Inglewood.
I cover Rams and Chargers games there regularly, but the World Cup changed how I feel about the place. It has more soul now, more character.
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News Analysis: Seven reasons why U.S. men’s soccer keeps crashing out of the World Cup
Before this summer’s World Cup, FIFA asked the 48 participating teams to provide a list of songs to be played during warmups and goal celebrations and, if appropriate, after victories. On the U.S. list was John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which quickly became the anthem of the team’s run through the tournament.
A more appropriate choice would have been the Buzzcocks’ “Sixteen Again,” because once again that’s where the Americans’ World Cup ended.
In the round of 16. Again.
This was supposed to be the year the U.S. broke through. With a roster full of players from major European teams and 13 who were World Cup veterans, a lack of quality and experience no longer were valid excuses.
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Paraguayan senator demands apology from Kylian Mbappé for his response to her racist posts
A Paraguayan senator has deleted social media posts that included racist remarks about French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé that led to Paris prosecutors opening an investigation into possible aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence.
Celeste Amarilla, a 61-year-old senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, indicated in an open letter to Mbappé on Monday that she regretted the comments she posted following Paraguay’s 1-0 loss to France in a World Cup knockout game on Saturday.
In the same letter, however, Amarilla threatened to take legal action if Mbappé did not retract and apologize for comments he made in response to one of her posts.
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How VAR, a system designed to correct errors, became this World Cup’s biggest villain
Croatia’s World Cup was seconds away from being over and Portugal was seconds away from the round of 16 when Ivan Perisic sent a long, desperate cross into the penalty area. The ball bounced off bodies like a pinball before magically, unbelievably, caroming into the net.
Gooooooallllllll!!!!
Fate had given Croatia a reprieve.
But as pandemonium broke out in the stands and on the pitch, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas stood in the middle of the celebration in Toronto, hand to his ear, listening to a voice half a continent away in Dallas.
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News Analysis: Mexico wins back fans but is still searching for ways to pass familiar World Cup wall
MEXICO CITY — After what may have been the most important game in the Mexican national team’s World Cup history, coach Javier Aguirre hugged each of his 26 players.
The embraces weren’t to celebrate a victory. They were hugs of gratitude, encouragement and, above all, resignation.
Minutes earlier, the players paraded around Azteca Stadium — traditionally an impenetrable fortress — to applaud El Tri fans with tears in their eyes. Mexico had just lost 3-2 to England, extinguishing the hope that it could parlay its World Cup co-host role into the deepest tournament run in the country’s history.
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Why not them? Disappointed U.S. players hope their World Cup run inspired future stars
SEATTLE — Last fall, in an effort to inspire a national soccer team lacking in confidence and belief, coach Mauricio Pochettino came up with a slogan for this summer’s World Cup, one the U.S. would be playing at home.
“Why not us?” he asked.
Why couldn’t the U.S. make a deep run in the tournament? Why couldn’t the U.S. compete with the best teams in the world? Why not us?
Monday he got his answer: Because the U.S. just isn’t good enough.
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Mikel Merino lifts Spain over Belgium, setting up World Cup showdown with France
If Mikel Merino is sleeping, please don’t wake him. If the last week has been a dream, he’d just as soon keep dreaming.
Because on Friday, for the second time in five days, Merino came off the bench for the final five minutes of a World Cup knockout game and scored the winning goal, the latest lifting Spain to a 2-1 victory over Belgium and into next week’s semifinal against France in Arlington, Texas.
“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what’s happening right now, right?” Merino said in Spanish. “Honestly, it’s crazy.”
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World Cup semifinals schedule: Start times for every match and how to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals are set to start, with France taking on Spain and defending champion Argentina facing England.
World Cup co-hosts U.S., Canada and Mexico will be watching from the sideline after being eliminated in the round of 16.
Here’s everything you need to know about the two World Cup matches being played Tuesday and Wednesday (all times Pacific).
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Looking back at the first 30 days of the World Cup
The first 30 days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered plenty of memorable moments.
Check out The Times’ daily recaps ahead of Tuesday’s semifinal match between France and Spain:
Argentina defeats Switzerland and England topples Norway in the World Cup quarterfinals to set up a semifinal showdown on Wednesday.
Live updates from the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium at noon PDT (Fox, Telemundo). Get the latest news, results and highlights.
France defeats Morocco in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals to be the first team to reach the semifinals. Get the latest news, results and highlights.
Live updates from Tuesday’s knockout round games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 39-day tournament.
Live updates from Monday’s knockout round games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 39-day tournament.
Live updates from Sunday’s knockout round games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 39-day tournament.
Live updates from Saturday’s knockout round games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 39-day tournament.
Live updates from Friday’s knockout round games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 39-day tournament.
Live updates from Thursday’s knockout round games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 39-day tournament.
England and Belgium rallied from early deficits and the U.S. held on despite a red card, winning Wednesday to clear the first World Cup knockout round.
Kylian Mbappé scored his fifth and sixth World Cup goals, leading France to a World Cup knockout round win Tuesday. Mexico and Norway also advanced.
Recapping Monday’s knockout-round wins by Brazil, Paraguay and Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights.
Live updates from Canada vs. South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news and results as the knockout rounds begin.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Recapping Day 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
South Africa pulled off a stunning 1-0 win over South Korea Wednesday night, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
Cristiano Ronaldo snapped out of his goal scoring slump to lead Portugal to a win, while Ghana held Harry Kane and England and Colombia rallied to beat Congo.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Recapping what happened at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Harry Kane tied a World Cup record during England’s win, Cristiano Ronaldo was held scoreless during a draw, Ghana stunned Panama and more during Day 7.
Stars Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi all scored while leading France, Norway and Argentina to wins on Day 6 of the 2026 World Cup.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Folarin Balogun scores twice and Christian Pulisic sets up two goals to lead the U.S. to a 4-1 win in its World Cup opener over Paraguay on Friday.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Mexico defeats South Africa 2-0 in a game that featured three red cards. Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored for Mexico in front of 80,824 fans.