Kylian Mbappe and France just got dumped out of the 2026 World Cup semifinals, losing 2-0 to Spain. The 2010 winners absolutely dismantled one of the pre-tournament favorites, comfortably seeing the French side off, and honestly, nobody saw it coming this decisively.
Spain Just Ended a Favorite's Run, But the Chaos Started Earlier
This tournament has been wild, and the semifinals are no exception. While France, a heavy favorite, is now out, the other semifinal between Argentina and England is still set to blow the roof off. Pre-tournament favorites have been falling all over the place leading up to this point. Remember Brazil? Knocked out by Norway in a massive 2-0 upset in the Round of 16! Portugal? Spain eliminated them 1-0 in the Round of 16. It just shows you no one is safe in this World Cup.
Norway's fairy tale run, with Erling Haaland leading the charge, was finally ended by England in extra time during the quarterfinals, a 2-1 thriller. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's dream of back-to-back World Cup titles is still very much alive after Argentina defeated surprise side Switzerland 3-1 in their quarterfinal match, also needing extra time to seal the deal. Switzerland themselves had advanced past Colombia in the Round of 16 on penalties 4-3 after a 0-0 draw. What a ride it's been!
The Road to the Semifinals Was Absolutely Brutal
The path to these semifinals was intense, with some absolute nail-biters from the start. In the quarterfinals, we saw France beat Morocco 2-0 in a rematch of the 2022 semifinals, with France once again prevailing. Spain took down Belgium 2-1; that's huge, especially since Belgium had just dispatched the USMNT 4-1 in the Round of 16. England edged out Norway 2-1 in extra time, and Argentina went to extra time to beat Switzerland 3-1. These teams absolutely fought tooth and nail to get here.
Even back in the Round of 32, we had some wild results. Canada pulled off a 1-0 win against South Africa, while Norway upset Ivory Coast 2-1. England had to grind out a 2-1 win against DR Congo, and Belgium barely got past Senegal 3-2 in extra time. The United States had a solid 2-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 before running into Belgium. Switzerland even beat Algeria 2-0, showing they were a dark horse contender early on. Every single game has been a battle, setting the stage perfectly for these epic semifinal clashes!
So now it's Spain waiting in the final. Who steps up to challenge them? We've got Argentina going head-to-head with England next, and you know that one is gonna be an absolute barnburner. Messi's still in it, Haaland's out, and the whole World Cup is set for a wild finish to see who lifts that trophy!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.