France eliminated from World Cup semifinals after 2-0 defeat to Spain
France’s World Cup campaign concludes in semifinals
France exited the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the semifinal stage following a 2-0 defeat to Spain. This loss ended Les Bleus’ aspirations of securing a third consecutive final appearance and a third World Cup title. The match saw Spain dominate, ultimately securing their place in the final.
The elimination marked a significant moment for Kylian Mbappé, whose individual World Cup scoring record continued to show a notable pattern. Despite accumulating 20 goals across three World Cups, placing him as the second-highest scorer in tournament history behind Lionel Messi, none of these goals have occurred in a semifinal match. This drought persisted against Spain, where he started but did not score.
This semifinal scoring anomaly has been a recurring theme for Mbappé. In Russia 2018, France defeated Belgium 1-0 with a goal from Samuel Umtiti, but Mbappé did not score. Similarly, at Qatar 2022, Les Bleus secured a 2-0 victory over Morocco with goals from Théo Hernández and Randal Kolo Muani, yet Mbappé remained off the scoresheet. The recent defeat to Spain confirmed this trend for the third consecutive World Cup.
Media reaction to the defeat
The performance of the French team drew considerable criticism from the local media, which characterized the loss as a disappointing conclusion to their tournament run. French sports daily L’Équipe, under the headline “The Collapse in Dallas,” stated that Spain completely controlled the match and rightfully advanced to the final. The publication noted that France struggled to match their opponent’s pace throughout the game.
Foot Mercato, another French outlet, used the headline “Spain eliminates a lackluster France in Deschamps’ final match.” This report highlighted Spain’s early dominance and the offensive struggles of Didier Deschamps’ squad. Radio Monte Carlo described the team’s exit as “a cruel end to the dream in America,” emphasizing that the semifinal loss extinguished France’s hopes of adding a third star to their record, following a performance that fell short of expectations.
Mbappé’s scoring record and Ousmane Dembélé’s tournament end
While Mbappé has faced challenges in semifinals, his scoring prowess in other stages of the World Cup is well-documented. His first World Cup goal came during the group stage of Russia 2018 against Peru. In Qatar 2022, he scored against Australia, netted a brace against Denmark, another brace against Poland in the Round of 16, and achieved a hat trick in the final against Argentina.
In the 2026 World Cup, Mbappé maintained his strong scoring form with a brace against Senegal, a goal against Iraq, two goals against Sweden in the Round of 32, the winning goal against Paraguay in the Round of 16, and his first World Cup quarterfinal goal against Morocco. Despite this impressive record, the semifinal stage remains an unfulfilled scoring opportunity for him.
Mbappé holds the record for most goals in World Cup finals, with four goals: one against Croatia in Russia 2018 and three against Argentina in Qatar 2022. This achievement places him ahead of notable players like Geoff Hurst, Pelé, Vavá, and Zinedine Zidane, who each scored three goals in World Cup finals. However, for the first time in his career, he will not participate in a World Cup final.
The semifinal match also saw the end of Ousmane Dembélé’s 2026 World Cup journey. Dembélé, a current Ballon d’Or winner, joined a list of players who have won the award but failed to win the World Cup. Despite France’s strong performances leading up to the semifinal, they were unable to perform at their best in the defeat to Spain. Dembélé scored five goals in seven matches, including a hat trick against Norway, and will have another chance to add to his tally in the third-place match.
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Source: marca.com
