France 0–2 Spain: World Cup Semifinal Recap, Result & How Our Picks Did
Spain are through to the final. A 22nd-minute Mikel Oyarzabal penalty and a second-half Pedro Porro strike settled a semifinal that France never led, and never really looked like leading, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It was the sixth clean sheet of Spain's tournament and the first time all World Cup that France had trailed in a match. For North Carolina bettors who backed Spain to advance, it was a straightforward night; for anyone holding a Kylian Mbappé scorer ticket, it was a frustrating one. Here is how the match played out and how our three pre-match picks graded.
Spain went on to win it, beating Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the July 19 final. Here is where North Carolina bettors can line up the next futures market:
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What happened in Arlington
The game turned on a moment just past the 20-minute mark. Lamine Yamal drove at the France back line, drew Lucas Digne into a mistimed challenge, and won the penalty that gave Spain the opening. Oyarzabal took it and put Spain 1–0 up in the 22nd minute, and from there the shape of the night was set. France had to chase a game they had expected to control, and Spain were happy to let them come.
The second goal killed it. Ten minutes into the second half, Pedro Porro arrived to make it 2–0 in the 55th minute, and a France side that had not gone behind once in this World Cup suddenly needed two goals against the best defensive record left in the field. They did not get close. Spain saw the game out with the kind of composure that has defined their run, and the final whistle sent them to a final for the first time since they won the whole thing in 2010.
Mbappé, and a France attack that never arrived
Everything France wanted to build ran through Kylian Mbappé, and Spain simply did not let him have the ball. He touched it 15 times in the first half and did not register a single shot before the break. That is not a scoreline stat; it is the whole story. When your one matchwinner is that starved of possession in a knockout semifinal, the goals have to come from somewhere else, and against this Spain back line there was no somewhere else. France created little of note, and their night ended the way the first half had hinted it would.
For France this is a second straight World Cup that ends short of the trophy. They arrived as one of the favorites and leave having failed to score in the match that mattered most, undone by a Spain team that defended its box, kept its shape, and punished the one big opening it was given.
Spain's control, start to finish
This was a possession-and-patience performance rather than a fireworks one. Spain controlled the middle third, forced France wide and away from Mbappé, and trusted a defense that has now kept six clean sheets across the tournament. The penalty gave them a lead they were built to protect, and Porro's goal turned a tense afternoon into a comfortable one. Reaching a first final since 2010 is the reward for a run that has been about control as much as flair.
Spain lifted the trophy — 1–0 over Argentina after extra time. Compare next-season and futures prices at two North Carolina books:
FanDuel North Carolina — Bet $5 Get $200 in Bet Reset Tokens for 5 Days →21+ (18+ D.C., KY, WY) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Min $5 wager required for 5 consecutive days. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable Bet Reset tokens. Refund from token issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Max refund $200 per day. Restrictions apply, including token expiration. See full terms at fanduel.com/sportsbook. Call 1-877-770-7867 (LA).
21+ and present in NC. Gambling problem? Call 877-718-5543 or visit morethanagame.nc.gov.
Up to 1,000 FanCash Matched Bets. New customers in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV, or WY. Apply promotion in bet slip and place a $1+ cash wager (min odds -200) daily for 10 consecutive days starting day of account creation. FanCash rewards will equal the qualifying wager amount (max 100 FanCash/day). FanCash issued under this promotion expires at 11:59 p.m. ET 7 days from issuance. Terms, incl. FanCash terms, apply—see Fanatics Sportsbook app.
21+ and present in NC. Gambling problem? Call 877-718-5543 or visit morethanagame.nc.gov.
How our picks did
Final tally: 2 of 3 landed.
- WON Spain to advance.
The anchor came in. Spain never trailed, took the lead through the Oyarzabal penalty, and closed it out with Porro's second. This was the pick the whole card was built around.
- WON Under 2.5 goals / both-teams-to-score No.
Two goals in the match and France blanked, so both angles cashed. Spain's low-event, defense-first approach was exactly the profile this pick needed.
- LOST Mbappé anytime scorer.
Kept quiet all night — 15 touches and no shot in the first half. Spain's plan to starve him of the ball was the single biggest reason this one missed.
The final: Spain 1–0 Argentina (AET)
Spain finished the job. In the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, they beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time: goalless through 90 minutes, then a Ferran Torres strike in the 106th off a Nico Williams assist. It was Spain's seventh clean sheet of the tournament and sealed a second World Cup title, their first since 2010. For next-season and futures markets now that the tournament is done, shop the number across FanDuel and Fanatics.
More on our World Cup 2026 betting hub, plus the England vs Argentina semifinal recap.
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