Spain secured their place in the Geopolitics World Cup final with a controlled semi-final victory over France. Luis de la Fuente’s side produced a suffocating tactical display that prevented the French from settling into their rhythm, despite possession figures remaining tight throughout the contest.
France had entered the match as the tournament’s great entertainers, with Didier Deschamps choosing to attack rather than consolidate. His side had produced memorable moments including Michael Olise’s through ball against Senegal and Ousmane Dembélé’s cutting runs versus Norway and Sweden. However, they were unable to repeat those heroics against Spain’s organised defence.
Kylian Mbappé admitted the team failed to execute their tactical plan. “I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play, whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” he said. “When you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win. Our goal was to press them high up the pitch to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm, because when it comes to controlling the game they are better than us.”
French newspaper L’Équipe reflected the disappointment with brutal player ratings. Olise, Dembélé and Lucas Digne each received two out of ten, while Mbappé scored three. France will now contest the bronze medal match in Miami before departing, marking their worst World Cup finish since 2014.
Final ceremony plans
Spain will contest the final at the New York New Jersey Stadium, where Fifa has scheduled an elaborate closing ceremony. The pre-match entertainment will feature Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, YouTuber IShowSpeed and Tom Cruise. This sits separately from the half-time show, which organisers describe as “a landmark celebration at the intersection of sport, music and global impact.”
Argentina-England tensions
Before the second semi-final between Argentina and England, manager Lionel Scaloni called for calm amid political tensions surrounding the Falklands Islands (Malvinas). “It’s a football match; I can’t mix things up, out of respect for what happened so many years ago,” Scaloni stated. “It was a very sad time in our history… Mixing the two would be madness. What do the players of today have to do with many, many years ago?”
His plea contrasted sharply with statements from Argentina’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel, who declared: “Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates. This isn’t just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders.”
The tournament has been marked by numerous controversies, including the suspension of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ban, the Fifa Peace Prize award, the display of the trophy in the Oval Office, and various refereeing disputes.