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Spain's Borja Iglesias and Alex Baena celebrate with teammates after the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final at Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, US, on July 14, 2026. (Reuters) * Spain are chasing a second world title, 16 years after their 2010 triumph* France managed only two shots on target as Spain suffocated them* Spain will face England or Argentina in Sunday's showpiece Spain suffocated France deep in the heart of Texas on Tuesday, powering into their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010 with a spellbinding 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.From the opening whistle, the Spaniards wrapped themselves around France like an anaconda, tightening their grip with every wave of pressing and every spell of possession until the life had been squeezed from a French attack that had looked irresistible throughout the tournament.The European champions are now within one victory of completing a double of the game’s biggest prizes. They will discover their final opponents on Wednesday when England face Argentina in Atlanta for a place in Sunday’s showpiece.For a country that waited generations for its first World Cup, a second title 16 years later would herald the arrival of another Spanish golden era, this one built around Lamine Yamal and a side as comfortable without mercy as it is with the ball.Expectation and tension were high in Arlington as ringside announcer Bruce Buffer, a man who has never knowingly used an indoor voice, bellowed the teams onto the pitch to launch a heavyweight clash worthy of the introduction.A contest that had promised so much, however, swiftly tilted into a lop-sided affair as the Spaniards controlled the tempo as comprehensively as the ball, and left France chasing shadows.LETHAL ATTACKFrance had come armed with the most lethal attack in world football, but it made little difference. Spain monopolised the ball, closed up the space and starved Les Bleus of the one thing their forwards needed -- possession.Incredibly for an international team, the Spaniards played like the best-drilled of club sides, telepathic in their movement and passing. France were reduced to spectators almost from the start and mustered just two shots on target.It took 22 minutes for Spain to break the deadlock. Marc Cucurella swung a deep cross into the French area that Lucas Digne brought down on his chest, but as the left back tried to clear, Yamal stepped across him and was caught by the follow through. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.Oyarzabal drilled the penalty high into the net, giving Mike Maignan no chance despite the keeper diving the right way. France had not trailed at this World Cup and the scheduled hydration break could hardly have come at a better moment for Didier Deschamps, handing him an immediate opportunity to settle his rattled side. NO BREATHING SPACEStill, France could find no breathing space for their free-flowing football and could have been 2-0 down 15 minutes later when Fabian Ruiz was denied by Dayot Upamecano's last-ditch challenge with the goal at his mercy.So potent against every other nation, France were nullified. Michael Olise was a virtual spectator, smothered by Cucurella, Ousmane Dembele offered little and even their star skipper Kylian Mbappe was unable to conjure any magic.Spain tightened the coil another notch just before the hour, when Porro doubled Spain’s lead, calmly exchanging passes with Dani Olmo before side-footing home, leaving France staring into the abyss.There was to be no respite for the increasingly desperate French and Spain's formidable side raised their arms and eyes to the skies as the final whistle blew. Related Story
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Spain snuffed out France's dream of a third World Cup triumph on Tuesday, taming their galaxy of forwards to win 2-0 and progress to a final against England or Argentina.Didier Deschamps' men were hot favourites for the trophy after a string of breathtaking displays in the United States but they met their match against the slick European champions at the semi-final stage.Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for the 2010 winners with an emphatic penalty in the first half in Arlington, Texas, and Pedro Porro doubled their lead in the second half.Shell-shocked France could not find a way back into the match despite their wealth of attacking riches.The game at the AT&T Stadium caught fire midway through the first half when Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed to the penalty spot after a reckless challenge by France left-back Lucas Digne on Spain winger Lamine Yamal.Oyarzabal hammered the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan for his fifth goal of the World Cup to leave France trailing for the first time in the tournament.Minutes later they suffered another blow when centre-back William Saliba had to leave the pitch after a recurrence of his lower back injury, replaced by Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.Spain went agonisingly close to extending their lead after some dazzling one-touch football but Dayot Upamecano's challenge denied Fabian Ruiz.France finished the half without a single shot on target, and just two attempts overall.Deschamps threw on Desire Doue for Bradley Barcola in the 57th minute in a bid to supercharge his attack but a minute later they were 2-0 down after a stunning team goal for Luis de la Fuente's men.Defender Porro delivered a sharp pass to the feet of Dani Olmo on the edge of the box and collected the return ball before coolly slotting past Maignan.Deschamps threw on Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki after the second hydration break in a desperate bid to get back into the match.But France could not find a way back into the game against solid opponents who refused to yield.Spain have conceded just once in the entire tournament, combining defensive steel with the trickery of winger Yamal in attack.They are now just 90 minutes away from winning the first-ever 48-team World Cup as they seek to match the achievement of Vicente del Bosque's team 16 years ago.Defeat in Texas is a bitter blow for a France team that has enthralled fans at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.France had reached the past two World Cup finals, winning in 2018 in Russia and losing on penalties to Lionel Messi's Argentina four years ago in Qatar in an epic final despite a hat-trick from Mbappe.Real Madrid forward Mbappe was just one cog in a star-studded attack that also included Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and the elegant Michael Olise.Defeat leaves just the third-place play-off for France coach Didier Deschamps, who is stepping down after the tournament following 14 years in charge.Kane v MessiIn the other semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, England and Argentina will lock horns in the latest chapter of one of the game's most compelling rivalries.The history of matches between the nations is peppered with incidents, set against a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic Ocean.The encounter takes place 40 years after Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal helped Argentina to a 2-1 win at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.England captain Harry Kane, who is competing against Messi and Mbappe for the Golden Boot, said his team would not be distracted by emotional baggage around the fixture.'From a player's point of view it's us against a great team, who are smart, who are tactical, who know how to buy fouls, know how to slow the game down -- like many different teams you come up against throughout your whole career,' Kane told ITV.
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Spain stunned tournament favourites France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final on Tuesday, producing a tactical masterpiece to shatter Les Bleus' dreams of winning the title for the third time.A first-half penalty from Mikel
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* England and Argentina meet in World Cup semi-final on Wednesday* England has changed its identity since the 1990s to become more inclusive* Argentina's sense of self built from 1920s 'pibe' characterThe clash between Argentina and England in the soccer World Cup semi-final on Wednesday is freighted with history and rivalry, but also represents an interesting contrast of evolving national identities and how they play out on a global stage.England, once the epitome of a team that stuck to ideas of nationhood defined by their supposed superiority to others - having invented the game, they declined to take part in the first three World Cups - now has a more inclusive approach, reflecting the country's increasing diversity and multicultural make-up.Argentina's sense of national identity, by contrast, remains rooted in an origin myth from the 1920s, which in many ways was set up in direct opposition to the English, cultural historians say.In the decades after Britain introduced soccer to Argentina, the idea of developing a style of play and sense of identity radically different to the English one was strongly encouraged by Argentina's first sports journalists, according to Pablo Alabarces, a professor of popular culture at the University of Buenos Aires.An influential article in 1928 by the editor of El Grafico, known as Borocoto, described what a statue of an Argentine footballer would look like. '...SHORT, MALNOURISHED...'It describes him as "short, malnourished, a shock of dark hair, his teeth worn down by eating yesterday’s bread ... a picaresque smile on his lips," said Jonathan Wilson, author of "Angels With Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina." "If you gave that description to somebody now, without any context, what would they say? It’s (Diego) Maradona. But this was 32 years before Maradona was born."The 1920s origin myth of Argentine football, defined by this character, popularly referred to as a "pibe," and his virtuosity and cunning, was "key to its sense of nation, and one of the few things all these people (from different countries) could agree on," said Wilson.Argentina then was a country in formation. Huge waves of migrants - largely from Italy, but also from Spain, Eastern Europe and elsewhere - had entirely reshaped it. In 1910, around half the population of Buenos Aires was foreign-born.But economic hardship and political volatility slowed that wave down to a trickle as the century wore on, and most Argentines today are third or fourth generation migrants. Although many of the national squad players are with European clubs, the concept of the "pibe" remains. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's controversial mind games - on show during the last World Cup final against France - could be seen as an example of that."Argentine culture carried us through the World Cup final in Qatar," said former player Jorge Valdano at a sporting press association talk in Spain last year. "Our know-how and cunning allowed us to triumph in a match when France had managed to level it. And that's something you learn in the street."SHIFTING IDENTITY IN ENGLANDEngland has also been a country of migration - but in much more recent times, as people from across the world and particularly Britain's former colonies have moved there. Many players are now second or even third generation migrants.That has meant England has needed to change its own concept of national identity."I think, in a very profound way, the English football team over the last half-century has shifted the cultural and social norms of who we think is English," said Sunder Katwala, director of diversity and inclusivity think tank British Future.After England's sole World Cup triumph in 1966, and following World War Two which cast a long shadow, the sense of identity initially came from nostalgic nationalism, and of standing alone against the enemy, historians say.In the 1990s, suspicion of foreigners lingered. Hooliganism was an enduring problem, and references to the war still abounded.For Katwala, the Euro 1996 tournament, hosted in England, was a transformative moment, helped in part by the Three Lions song with its oft-sung (and sometimes mocked) "football's coming home" lyric."It's actually a song about hope over expectation," he said. "It's a song about what it is to be a nation, which is the shared experience of losing on penalties, winning a match, hoping to win, not quite winning, hoping to win next time."For the first time, the Football Association pursued a foreign manager, Sweden's Sven-Goran Eriksson. Now, it is under the wing of straight-talking Thomas Tuchel, a native of long-time rival Germany. FOR ENGLAND, FOOTBALL TEAM REPRESENTS COUNTYEngland is unusual in that, as part of Britain, it is not a nation state. For England, it is the football team that represents the country more than any other institution, said Katwala. Surveys indicate that both white and ethnic minority English agree on that point, he added. It has not always been a smooth ride. Black players were subjected to a storm of online racist abuse after their defeat in the final of Euro 2020, when they missed spot-kicks in a penalty shootout against Italy. The abuse drew wide condemnation from sporting and political leaders."You look at the run into that final and you felt as though the country had united," midfielder Jude Bellingham told the Mirror in 2022. "Then as soon as they missed a penalty, they were not English, just Black. Anyone can miss a penalty." Perhaps it is Bellingham himself, of mixed Black and white heritage, who most embodies changing attitudes. As he has produced the kind of performances that have underlined his status as one of the tournament's outstanding players, he has been serenaded by travelling supporters - predominantly white - singing along to The Beatles' "Hey Jude" at the end of matches."We've brought this nation together," England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford told a press conference on Monday."We're in the semi-final and we know we can't look past Argentina. It's going to be a tough game, a top game. But we want to put smiles on their faces." Related Story
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Three years have passed since Jon Rahm won a major, the most recent celebration coming at the 2023 Masters when Scottie Scheffler put the green jacket on the Spaniard at Augusta National.Rahm won the U.S. Open in 2021, and has ties for second at the PGA Championship (2026) and The Open Championship (2023) also high on his resume. While he said he enters The Open on Thursday at Royal Birkdale with plenty of confidence, he knows just how difficult it will be to hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday.'God, it's hard. It's very hard,' Rahm said of winning a major in his pre- tournament news conference on Tuesday in Southport, England.His attitude is far from defeated, however.'Confidence is always high,' said Rahm, 31. 'I think as a player you have to have that belief in yourself, that things are always going to be good, so feeling good. Very excited to be here.'Royal Birkdale last hosted The Open in 2017, when Jordan Spieth (12-under) finished three strokes ahead of Matt Kuchar. WIND TO IMPACT CLUB SELECTIONThe next champion will have different challenges than those Spieth faced. Since then, the course has been re-imagined.But one challenge remains constant: the wind, which is going to impact club selection.'It's one of the venues that I remember as being a fantastic championship venue, historically very difficult one,' Rahm said. 'Weather-wise, very unusual week. Looking forward to see what the challenge presents because I think we're going to see a bit of everything, see 6-irons off tees, drivers and long irons into par-4s. It should be a really fun one.' ONE MORE DAY TO REVIEW COURSERahm has just one more day to review the course before teeing off Thursday at 5:09 a.m., paired with Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood of England. They follow the star-studded group of Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton.There will be a lot of eyes on those two groups. Rahm's eyes will be on factors such as pin placement, the speed of the greens and how the flag whips in the wind.Rahm, a former World No. 1, now competes in the LIV Golf League and on the DP World Tour. Given those experiences of worldwide travel, he was asked if he'd like to see the PGA Tour add another major abroad.'I wouldn't know the logistics of that. I don't know who can decide what a new major becomes or is now a major, he said. 'That would be interesting to see a major happen in other parts of the world, in other continents, I mean. Golf being a global game and as big as it is, it's something that could be explored for sure.'
