Spain is back in the FIFA World Cup final for the first time in 16 years. A composed and clinical display saw La Roja defeat defending champions France 2-0 in the first semifinal at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, setting up a showdown with either Argentina or England.

Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the contest for long spells and made its superiority count through Mikel Oyarzabal’s first-half penalty and Pedro Porro’s superbly crafted strike after the break. France, despite enjoying periods of pressure and creating a handful of chances, lacked the cutting edge to breach Spain’s disciplined defence.

Oyarzabal breaks the deadlock

Spain’s breakthrough came in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal was brought down by Lucas Digne inside the penalty area. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and powered his spot-kick beyond Mike Maignan, who guessed the right way but could not keep the effort out.

The goal rewarded Spain’s dominance in possession, although France remained a threat on the counter through Kylian Mbappe, who squandered the visitors’ best opportunity after delaying his shot when sent through by Ousmane Dembele.

France also suffered a setback before half-time when William Saliba limped off injured, forcing Didier Deschamps into an early defensive reshuffle.

Porro puts Spain in command

France emerged with greater intent after the restart, but Spain delivered the decisive blow in the 58th minute.

Pedro Porro initiated a slick passing move before exchanging passes with Dani Olmo and calmly slotting past Maignan to double Spain’s advantage.

Spain nearly made it three moments later when Lamine Yamal found the net, only for the offside flag to deny the teenager.

Simon stands tall as France falters

France threw everything forward in the closing stages, introducing Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Theo Hernandez in search of a comeback.

However, Unai Simon produced another outstanding performance, denying Mbappe and Doue, while Spain’s backline, marshalled by Rodri, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella, dealt comfortably with France’s late pressure.

Mbappe’s frustrations summed up France’s evening. The captain was booked late on, before blazing a dangerous free-kick over the crossbar with time running out.

Spain ends France’s remarkable run

The victory sends Spain into its first FIFA World Cup final since 2010, when it defeated the Netherlands to lift its maiden—and so far only—World Cup title.

For France, the defeat ends its bid to become the first men’s team since West Germany (1982, 1986 and 1990) to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. It is also Les Bleus’ first two-goal defeat at a World Cup since a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the 2010 group stage.

Spain will now await the winner of the second semifinal between Argentina and England, while France will feature in the third-place playoff.

Thomas Tuchel is confident of Declan Rice‘s ability to start England’s World Cup semi-final after he trained on the eve of their last-four clash with Argentina in a huge fitness boost.

England take on Lionel Messi and co in Atlanta on Wednesday seeking to seal a place in Sunday’s MetLife Stadium showpiece.

The Three Lions secured their place in the semi-finals with a narrow 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway in Miami, where the unusually ineffective Rice was withdrawn at half-time.

Tuchel revealed after the quarter-final that the Arsenal star had been bedbound for three days in the build-up to the tie having fallen unwell after the last-16 trip to Mexico.

Rice has also been dealing with nagging hamstring pain since Christmas but he trained with his team-mates at their Kansas City base before flying to Georgia on Tuesday.

However, Tuchel is confirmed that Rice is well in contention to start the seismic semi-final after making a successful recovery.

“Everyone is fit to start, except Jarell [Quansah] and Jordan [Henderson]. Declan [Rice] is ready to start and [had] as good a recovery as possible,” he said.

Fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson was the only member of the 26-man squad not to train on Tuesday having undergone arm surgery following his nasty fall in Mexico.

Versatile defender Jarell Quansah took part but his red card at the Estadio Azteca means he will sit out Wednesday’s semi-final as he completes a two-match ban.

Right-back Reece James is pushing to start having returned from a three-game absence with a hamstring issue as a second half substitute against Norway.

Additional reporting from PA

Spain produced an absolute masterclass in control to secure their place in just their second World Cup final – leaving the rest of the world stunned at how France were blown away.

Les Bleus went into Tuesday’s eagerly anticipated semi-final as overwhelming favourites having cruised through the tournament, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise making them an attacking force to be feared.

But while many were questioning how France could be beaten, Spain reminded everyone why they are European champions and unbeaten in a record-equalling 37 matches by running out 2-0 winners.

Luis de la Fuente’s men have rather flown under the radar at this World Cup – even failing to beat debutants Cape Verde in their opening match – and teenage superstar Lamine Yamal has scored just one goal.

But they appear to have hit peak form at the right time and, having kept a clean sheet in six of their seven games, can expect to be favourites for Sunday’s World Cup final, where they will face either Argentina or England.

France, meanwhile, must prepare for the third-place play-off after being frustrated by a midfield masterclass and managing just three attempts on target.

“Spain scalped France – they flattened France,” said former Premier League champion Chris Sutton, who was at the game for BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We have given France so much praise in this tournament, but they were swatted aside by silky Spain. In the main, Spain have outfought and outplayed this French team.”

Roy Keane – another Premier League winner – said on ITV: “France were not playing as a team. Brilliant individuals not playing as a team.

“Spain have been absolutely brilliant – an absolute joy to watch.”

When De la Fuente was appointed Spain boss in December 2022, some referred to him as: “Luis de la Who?”

Spain – world champions under Vicente del Bosque in 2010 – are used to being led by high-profile personalities, and de la Fuente was viewed as a low-key federation appointment after his time in charge of the nation’s under-19s, under-21s and under-23s.

But the 65-year-old has given an emphatic response to the doubters.

Having led Spain to a Nations League triumph in 2023 and Euro 2024 glory, he has now guided them to the World Cup final.

If England win in Atlanta on Wednesday, they will set up a repeat of the European Championship final of two years ago.

The 2026 World Cup is down to its last four, meaning teams will be praying not to suffer any untimely injury setbacks in their quest for global glory.

Some of the big injury sagas heading into the tournament have come to happy endings, with Lamine Yamal now a regular fixture for Spain after returning to full fitness, while injury-ridden Neymar was able to get some minutes in what will be his final World Cup, before Brazil’s elimination at the hands of Norway.

However, many nations are still sweating over major concerns to top players. England have been dealing with a defensive injury crisis for much of the tournament and while that appeared to easing with Reece James making a return, Declan Rice‘s fitness is now up in the air after being struck down with illness ahead of the quarter-final clash with Norway. He was deemed fit enough to start the clash but looked out of sorts and was replaced at half-time.

Spain have seen their winger options limited since the end of the group stage, with Yeremy Pino and Victor Munoz still out, but that hasn’t stopped them as they stormed to the final. France, the team they beat in the semi-finals, will hope to go home on the minor high of victory in the third-place play-off, but will likely have to do it without William Saliba after he was forced off injured against La Roja.

See below for a full list of key injuries at this year’s World Cup.

Declan Rice (England)

Rice’s tournament has been hampered by injuries with neural back pain forcing England to manage his workload. This saw him miss England’s group-stage finale against Panama, but he has started both knockout games since.

He was then struck down by illness ahead of the quarter-final with Norway, and despite recovering enough to make the starting line-up after missing two days of training, he looked out of sorts and was replaced at half-time.

Rice did train on the eve of the Argentina clash to boost hopes of the midfielder starting in the semis, with Thomas Tuchel confident of his availability.

Reece James (England)

James has been out of action for England for their last three World Cup outings, once again unable to feature in their stunning round of 16 win over Mexico as he recovers from a hamstring problem.

His absence has been compounded by injuries to right-back alternatives in the England squad though he was finally able to return to fitness against Norway in the quarter-finals, coming off the bench.

William Saliba (France)

Everything went wrong for France in their semi-final defeat to Spain, not least the loss of influential defender William Saliba to injury.

Saliba went down untouched on the ball and immediately looked dejected, with it quickly becoming apparent the Arsenal man would not be able to continue.

He faces a race against time to be fit for France’s third-place play-off on Saturday but Arsenal will fear their star centre-back has suffered a longer-term injury, whose 2025/26 season was maligned by numerous fitness setbacks which saw him miss a combined 12 matches for club and country.

Yeremy Pino (Spain)

The Crystal Palace winger suffered a collarbone injury against Uruguay and there were fears he could miss the rest of the tournament.

Those were allayed when Spain said X-rays showed Pino had not sustained a fractured collar bone but an acromioclavicular sprain.

However, he is yet to play any minutes for Spain since the group-stage injury.

Jordan Henderson (England)

Brentford midfielder Henderson was thought to be ruled out for the World Cup after sustaining a freak injury in the aftermath of England’s win over Mexico – but that may not be the case.

Henderson leaped over the advertising hoarding but fell awkwardly and snapped his arm. He underwent surgery before returning to England’s Kansas City base, opting to remain with the squad until the end of the campaign rather than go home.

However, in a stunning development, Henderson was included among the substitutes to face Norway in the last-eight and says he will “cross the bridge” of potentially featuring in the semi-finals “when we come to it”.

Facundo Medina (Argentina)

Argentina are dealing with another defensive injury blow after Medina hobbled off with a calf problem in their last-32 clash win over Cape Verde.

That match saw the return of Cristian Romero after the Tottenham centre-back suffered a knee injury in the group stage, but Lionel Scaloni has another headache to deal with after Medina’s withdrawal, with the defender then missing their controversial last-16 victory with Egypt. He was once again absent for their quarter-final win over Switzerland.

Victor Munoz (Spain)

New Liverpool signing Munoz has been absent for the entirety of the World Cup so far after sustaining a calf injury in the build-up to the tournament. He then suffered a further setback when he was diagnosed with another muscular injury.

Deschamps is one of only three people to win the World Cup as a player and manager – alongside Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.

His longevity as manager is also rare in the current era – having led the national team for 14 years.

He won 20 of his 26 World Cup games as France boss, only losing three times – including this defeat by Spain in Texas.

As a player or manager he was involved in over half of the games France have ever won at World Cups – and the only two times they have lifted the trophy.

Only three teams before now have reached the quarter-finals at least in four successive tournaments.

They lost to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 final, coming desperately close to being only the third team to retain the World Cup.

More might have been expected from this side with joint tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappe, plus Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and rising star Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, in front of an established defence and midfield.

“There was extra motivation for all the players at this World Cup to give Didier the ending he wanted, and deserved,” said former France striker and BBC pundit Olivier Giroud.

“He deserved to exit by the big door. He did not quite manage that but he is still a great, for what he has already done in his 14 years.

“His record does the talking for him.”

Giroud, who won the 2018 World Cup under Deschamps, added: “I think he is like a second father for some players, like a second dad.

“For me it was not quite like that, but he gave me so many times his confidence, and I tried to repay him on the pitch.

“This makes us very close and because we won that World Cup, we are linked forever.

“I always call him coach.

“When you are in the national team, you don’t have much time to work on tactics and each manager has their philosophy.

“For Didier, his was more like ‘you are big players, I leave you some freedom on the pitch’. He gave some instructions too of course, to keep the balance, so you always knew where each player would be.

“The biggest thing he taught us was his desire, and his drive and ambition to be the absolute best and to win every single game. His competitive mindset was so clear.”

Spain booked their place in the FIFA World Cup final after producing a disciplined and impressive performance to beat tournament favourites France 2-0 at Dallas Stadium.

Luis de la Fuente’s side combined solid defending with excellent control of possession to end France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.

Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead in the first half from the penalty spot after France left-back Lucas Digne brought down Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area. The striker calmly converted the spot-kick to put Spain ahead.

Instead of sitting back, Spain continued to dominate the game. Their midfield controlled possession, while their defence gave France’s dangerous attack very little space to create chances.

Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s lead in the second half after playing a neat one-two with Dani Olmo before finishing confidently at the near post.

France, who had been one of the most exciting attacking teams at the tournament, struggled to break down Spain’s organised defence. Their first shot on target did not come until the 81st minute, showing how well Spain frustrated Kylian Mbappe and his teammates.

Rodri was outstanding in midfield, breaking up France’s attacks and controlling the tempo of the game. Fabian Ruiz also impressed alongside him, while Spain’s backline remained compact throughout the match.

Spain have now conceded just one goal in the tournament, highlighting the defensive strength that has taken them to the final.

For France, the defeat ends their dream of lifting the World Cup. A mistake by Digne for the opening goal and an injury to defender William Saliba made life even more difficult for Didier Deschamps’ side, who failed to produce the attacking football they had shown earlier in the competition.

Spain will now face the winners of the second semi-final between England and Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final as they chase their second world title. France will play in the third-place play-off, which will also mark the end of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year reign as head coach.

Playes of Spain celebrate defeating France in a World Cup semifinal match on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo)

A clinical and disciplined Spain advanced to their first FIFA World Cup final in 16 years after brushing aside neighbours France 2-0 in a high-octane semifinal clash at the AT&T Stadium on Tuesday. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a brilliant second-half strike by Pedro Porro sealed a memorable victory for La Roja, crushing French dreams of reaching a third consecutive final.The victory marked the third consecutive summer that Spain has eliminated France in the final stages of a major tournament, following their triumphs in the Euro 2024 semifinals and last year’s Nations League. Teen sensation Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday just a day prior, proved to be the architect of destruction once again, validating his pre-match warning that France should fear this Spanish side.Spain opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Yamal’s sharpness caught the French defense off guard. French veteran defender Lucas Digne misjudged a header in his own box, allowing a sprinting Yamal to steal in from behind. In a desperate attempt to clear the danger, Digne kicked the teenager, prompting the referee to point straight to the penalty spot.Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up calmly and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to net his fifth goal of the tournament. The strike marked the first time either heavyweight nation had trailed at any point in this entire World Cup campaign.France, the top-ranked team in the world, struggled to find their usual rhythm as Kylian Mbappé was kept quiet by a resolute Spanish backline. Spain completely took the game away from Les Bleus in the 58th minute. Pedro Porro initiated a beautiful give-and-go passing sequence with Dani Olmo before driving a powerful shot into the net to make it 2-0.Yamal almost added a third just moments later, but his close-range finish was ruled out by a tight offside call. France threw bodies forward late in the game but failed to breach the organized Spanish defense.Spain will now travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, for Sunday’s grand finale at MetLife Stadium, where they will face either defending champions Argentina or England. Meanwhile, a disappointed French team will head to Miami Gardens on Saturday to compete in the third-place playoff match.

Shawn Porter believes Devin Haney could force Shakur Stevenson to adapt his style, mainly by setting a pace that his more technically-gifted opponent finds uncomfortable.

The two Americans have repeatedly been going back and forth over social media, outlining their demands for a potential clash at 144lbs.

For context, Haney has verbally agreed to travel 3lbs below his preferred fighting weight, accommodating a catchweight that was initially proposed by Stevenson.

In terms of the finer details, though, it remains to be seen whether they can actually negotiate a deal, especially with Haney having been ordered to defend his title against Keyshawn Davis.

The 27-year-old claimed his WBO welterweight strap last November, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning Brian Norman Jr with a unanimous decision victory.

But with the ‘Dream’ having missed out on the opportunity to make a voluntary title defence, he must now face mandatory challenger Davis or risk being stripped of his belt.

Alternatively, he could vacate the title and jump straight into a clash with Stevenson, who currently holds the WBO strap at 140lbs.

Either way, Porter will be anticipating a compelling chess match if they eventually lock horns, with the former two-time world champion offering a measured take on his podcast.

“I think Devin Haney is someone who can push Shakur into [being more aggressive].

“Dev is going to fight at a fast pace; Dev is going to try to control that range – the same way that Shakur does.

“It’s going to be a chess match, but Devin’s offence is going to force Shakur to be more offensive.”

Previously, Porter has edged slightly towards Haney, believing the size disadvantage to be slightly too big for Stevenson to overcome.

With Stevenson having signed to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, and demanding the “big fights”, Haney is certainly the type of opponent that fits his criteria.

LAS VEGAS — For a cluster of players, the 2026 Summer League could wind up going like this: Try your best to make an NBA team, but when that doesn’t work out, use July as a springboard to head back to college basketball.

Is this allowed? Of course not.

Could it still happen anyway? No one would be surprised if so.

After speaking with a variety of coaches, agents and NBA personnel at Nike EYBL and Summer League, I learned they’re all bracing for such a reality. Agents of some players on Summer League rosters have been touching base with high-major coaching staffs in the past two weeks, getting temperature checks on roster situations and asking if they’d be interested in adding a 21- or 22-year-old later this offseason if the opportunity presents itself.

These types of hypothetical propositions were the biggest talking point amongst coaches on the recruiting trail last week in Vegas, and a few I spoke to, who were given the benefit of anonymity, said they would be open to it.

“It’s not a ‘could this happen,’ it’s a ‘this is going to happen,’” one high-major coach told CBS Sports.

Here’s a quick catch-up on the state of play in mid-July: With the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule taking effect next month (with rare exception, starting in the 2026-27 season, all athletes will have five years to play as many as five seasons), there have already been swift legal challenges from a pool of players in the 2025-26 senior class who want their super senior seasons as well. Lawsuits have originated out of Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, California — and there will surely be more by the end of the month, even though the NCAA has been explicit and forceful that this new age-based eligibility model will not be grandfathered in for those players. None of the recent seniors who are plaintiffs in those lawsuits, so far, are former four-year athletes who are currently on Summer League rosters.

That’s not going to stop the lawyers from lawyering and the players and agents from trying to get another year and more money at the college level. (And we’re only talking about basketball here; what’s going to happen when hundreds of guys who just left college football get cut from NFL training camps next month?)

“It’s insane that we’re sitting here on July 11 and you don’t know who’s eligible and who’s not eligible,” a Big Ten coach told CBS Sports.

Why college basketball recruiting returned to Las Vegas, which is poised to become an annual offseason mecca

Matt Norlander

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This has obviously caught the attention of recent college hoops grads who are fleetingly living up the high life in swanky Las Vegas resorts this month. Many of these guys are desperately trying to somehow land an NBA contract … but most of them know they’ll soon either get cut or be sent to the G League, where the money isn’t nearly as good as it could be with one more year on a college salary.

“I don’t even know why you’d sign an Exhibit 10,” one NBA source said, citing the lowest-level NBA deal that offers the least amount of money and protection and doesn’t clear $200,000 for a first-year player.

Another NBA source said it would be stupid for any agent to advise any player not guaranteed to make more than $500,000 to sign an NBA deal before thoroughly vetting out trying to bully their way back into college next season.

College coaches caught in tough spot

The interesting twist on the coaching end is this: They aren’t eager to play a role in making a bigger mockery of college eligibility. Hilariously, some just can’t help themselves, though. A few admitted they would be compelled to support a player looking to return to college if it could better their team’s chances at winning in 2026-27.

“Ask any coach here, not one of them will tell you it’s how they want it to be,” one Big 12 coach said. “We want this option taken away from us. But if the opportunity is there, am I supposed to not listen? If I can make my team better, don’t I have to try and do it?”

There was one coach of a borderline top-25 team heading into next season who said they would not entertain the scenario — even if it was a really good player — due to the unavoidable dynamics that would change with his team if someone got paid a lot of money in the middle of the offseason to come aboard.

“We all just want the [five-in-five] rule to be the rule,” said another veteran coach, this one with Final Four experience. “We’ve already recruited the portal and have freshmen coming in. We don’t want to spend that money and then not play a guy.”

For now, a lot seems to hinge on the eligibility lawsuit out of Ohio, where 15 players were granted an injunction by a Hamilton County judge … whose ties to Xavier and Cincinnati have come under fire. That injunction is up for a case hearing in August. If the plaintiffs win and the players are awarded a bonus year, it may well be open season on hundreds of players to return to college basketball next season.

If it gets shot down, that would be a huge win for the NCAA … but it won’t necessarily stop the flow of lawsuits, just waiting for one shot to break the dam.

And if we’re getting this much action about a bunch of players with no name recognition and minimal impact across college basketball, think about the disturbance that could await with the guys who are almost good enough to make the NBA.

The most chaotic portion of the college sports offseason looms in the weeks ahead.