Spain imposed themselves strongly in the race for the 2026 World Cup title, after eliminating France in the semifinal, confirming their superiority in this round in recent years and reaching the final deservedly.

The Spanish national team proved that semifinal matches have become one of its greatest strengths, while France continued its struggle against "La Roja" specifically in this round.

Exceptional numbers for Spain: Spain have played 13 semifinals in major tournaments, including the World Cup, European Championship, and Nations League, and have advanced to the final on 11 occasions, a success rate exceeding 84%.

In the World Cup, Spain reached the semifinal in the 2010 and 2026 editions, and on both occasions they secured their place in the final without suffering any defeat.

De la Fuente: Perfect record. Coach Luis de la Fuente continued his perfect results in knockout rounds, winning all the semifinals he has played with the Spanish national team in major tournaments, extending his record to three wins from three matches.

A Spanish curse haunts Deschamps. In contrast, Didier Deschamps suffered his third consecutive defeat to Spain in semifinals over the last two years, after losing in the Euro 2024 semifinal (2-1), then the Nations League semifinal (5-4), before the scenario repeated in the 2026 World Cup semifinal.

Before falling to Spain, France had successfully navigated the semifinal in the last three World Cup editions they reached this round, in 2006, 2018, and 2022, but Spain put an end to that streak, continuing their dominance in semifinal meetings against "Les Bleus."