France were outfought and outthought in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final, as Spain booked their place in the final to face England or Argentina.
They were the darlings of most at the 2026 World Cup; France could do little wrong and their exceptional – unrivalled? – attack capture the imagination of neutrals across the globe.
Their inventiveness, devastating pace and trickery made them almost impossible to contend with, and on the few occasions they found the going a little tougher, they had the mentality to scrap and get themselves over the line.
But when it mattered most, France’s star-studded frontline was reduced to a group of individuals powerless to resist the characteristic cohesion and collective understanding of a Spain side who at no point in Dallas looked likely to be on the end of a bitter semi-final defeat.
The first semi-final of the 2026 World Cup had been billed by many as a brilliant attack versus an impenetrable defence.
After all, France’s offensive figures had been off the charts. Ahead of the semis, France had got 47 shots on target, the most they have had at a World Cup since 1998, when they registered 53 en route to lifting the trophy. Similarly, their average of 7.8 shots on target per game was their highest on record since 1966.
On top of that, Didier Deschamps’ side had registered by far the most xG of any team in the tournament (14.3), at least 1.6 more than any other side.
On the other hand, Spain had faced just seven shots on target at a rate of only 1.17 per match, the fewest of any side at a men’s World Cup on record (since 1966).
And their 0.31 xG against per match was the joint lowest of any World Cup team since 1966. Linked to that, the average xG value of the shots they’d faced had been a mere 0.05, another joint low on record.
But on Tuesday in Dallas, there was no question who the better team were.
In the first half especially, France looked a shadow of the side who’ve occasionally dazzled in North America.
Their two shots before the break amounted to just 0.04 xG. Fans may have taken solace in the fact the only two occasions on record that they’ve generated less xG in the first half of a World Cup game they’d gone on to score three times – but those instances weren’t up against a Spanish defence and midfield as effective as this.
Spain may not have peppered the France goal at the other end, but Michael Olise struggled to make any meaningful impact. France will have been looking to his creativity in the hope of releasing Rodri and
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