The Press Settles the Score

“Lousy Les Bleus” & a “Lesson for the World”

The fallen title favorites from France were dealt a harsh blow.(Bild: AFP/SHAUN BOTTERILL)

Spain has reached the final of the World Cup in North America. The European champions secured a commanding 2-0 victory over France. The international media are particularly surprised by the French team’s poor performance. Here’s an overview!

Spain
“Marca”: “Spain is in the World Cup final! For the second time in our lives, we’ll be fighting for the World Cup title! We want that second star!”

“AS”: “A lesson for the world.”

“Mundo Deportivo”: “They announced it after losing the Nations League final. ‘July 19, 2026,’ Pedri posted on Instagram. The date of the World Cup final. And Lamine Yamal shared it. They kept their word.”

“El País”: “Spain has made history once again. After 16 years, the Spanish national team is back in the World Cup final.”

France
“L’Équipe”: “The upset in Dallas. After a tournament in which they faced no serious challenges, Les Bleus were given a veritable soccer lesson by the Spaniards in Arlington. 0–2, and the astonishing—at times almost unsettling—feeling that, in the face of Spanish dominance, there was never really a contest.”

“RMC Sport”: “Les Bleus fall in the World Cup semifinals; the American dream comes to an abrupt end. France never found a way to decide the match against the impressively composed Spanish team.”

“Le Figaro”: “The dream is over for Les Bleus, who were decisively knocked out of the World Cup by La Roja. On paper, it looked like a real showdown. On the field, it wasn’t. France was soundly outclassed by Spain, 0–2, in the 2026 World Cup semifinal in Dallas.”

USA
“The Athletic”: “Maybe we underestimated Spain. Maybe we were so fixated on France, Kylian Mbappé, and the rest of their dangerous offense that we overlooked the quality of the Spanish team, which—if you exclude last year’s penalty-shot loss to Portugal in the Nations League final—hasn’t lost a game since March 2023.”

Huge celebrations among the Spaniards!(Bild: AFP/RONALDO SCHEMIDT)

England
“Daily Mail”: “Lousy Les Bleus. We all simply expected France to be superior to Spain, even though we all knew how strong Luis de la Fuente’s team is. It’s not just about the result—which is certainly possible—but above all about the performance. They were far from achieving the goal they had set for themselves at this World Cup.”

“The Guardian”: “For anyone who had written off Spain as an underdog, this was a spectacular lesson. How they relished teaching a lesson here, securing a top-tier matchup in New Jersey on Sunday and relegating France to mere bit players.”

“The Sun”: “Sacre bleu. France stumbles at the final hurdle. This is not how the team imagined the end of the Deschamps era. What will hurt their fans even more is that their team failed miserably tonight in Dallas. Today is France’s National Day—an irony of history, as their World Cup dreams ended just like they did in Pompeii.”

Italy
“Gazzetta dello Sport”: “Spain , triumph amid cries of ‘Olé’: France was crushed. After 16 years, the ‘Roja’ is back in the final.”

For Michael Olise (left) and his French teammates, there was nothing to be gained against Spain.(Bild: AP/Ashley Landis)

“Corriere dello Sport”: “Spanish revolution in Dallas: Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro crush France on July 14.”

Switzerland:
“NZZ”: “Spain shatters France’s spell and reaches the World Cup final for the first time since 2010—once again, the antihero Mikel Oyarzabal leads the way.”

Netherlands:
“De Telegraaf”: “Dominant Spain reaches the 2026 World Cup final with a victory over top favorite France. Spain dashed France’s title hopes in the 2026 World Cup semifinals. In Dallas, the Spaniards were surprisingly dominant over Kylian Mbappé & Co., winning 2–0.”