Live updates: World’s No. 1 team upset in last World Cup match in Arlington
Let’s gather together one last time for the ninth and final 2026 FIFA World Cup match at AT&T Stadium.
And this is the biggest matchup of all to come to Dallas-Fort Worth — and one of the biggest sporting events in the Metroplex’s history.
France, the No. 1-ranked team in the world, takes on No. 3 Spain at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the World Cup semifinals. Spain briefly moved up to No. 2 after its quarterfinal victory over Belgium, but Argentina took the second spot back after its quarterfinal win over Switzerland.
The France-Spain winner advances to face the Argentina-England winner in the World Cup final Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Follow all the action throughout the day here:
Four takeaways from the match
4:39 p.m.
Spain swarmed French star Kylian Mbappe and delivered the dagger to take an almost insurmountable two-goal lead.
Here are four takeaways from the match.
— Steven Johnson
FINAL: Spain 2, France 0
3:59 p.m.
Spain defeats France 2-0 to move on to the World Cup final.
Spain got goals from Mikel Oyarzabal on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute and Pedro Porro in the 58th minute.
Spain advances to face the England-Argentina winner in the World Cup final at 2 p.m. Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
France will play in the third-place match at 4 p.m. Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
— Steven Johnson
Movie star sighting
3:49 p.m.
Movie star Timothée Chalamet was spotted and shown on the video board.
The “Dune” star has dual citizenship with the U.S. and France.
— Nick Harris
France running out of time
3:45 p.m.
France’s best shot at a goal comes up short. A through ball to Mbappe forced Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon to run up the pitch to challenge the striker, but he couldn’t corral the ball, and it ended up in possession of Desire Doue.
With Simon out of the net, Doue wound up for a long shot just outside the box, but Simon recovered and saved the shot in the 81st minute. Time is running out on France.
— Steven Johnson
Attendance announced
3:38 p.m.
Officials announced today’s attendance as 70,176.
Watch for Spain to park the bus
3:35 p.m.
When you have this good of a back line, you lean on it to close out big matches like this one.
With Spain now holding a two-goal advantage, look for its world-class defensive-four to add a body or two to prevent any sort of France comeback. With that, though, will come more possession and more opportunities for France to sneak a goal in at some point.
However, if you’re Spain, you take that gamble with more bodies in your own box. Now, it’s time to close it out for La Roja to punch a ticket into its first World Cup Final since winning it all in 2010.
— Nick Harris
France trying to mount comeback
3:30 p.m.
After a quiet first half, French striker Kylian Mbappe is trying his best to will France back into the match. Mbappe registered his first shot attempt in the 67th minute, which was narrowly blocked by defender Marc Cucurella. Mbappe tried to generate another attack in the 68th minute but was called for offsides.
France is gathering itself during the hydration break for one last surge, and Mbappe will need to lead the charge if France is to pull off the comeback.
— Steven Johnson
Is this the ‘real final?’
3:29 p.m.
France came into this matchup ranked No. 1 in the world, and Spain was No. 3 after briefly holding the No. 2 spot after its quarterfinal.
Is the “real” World Cup final being played today in Arlington? Fans debated the issue with the Star-Telegram.
— Charles Baggarly
Jerry Jones booed by fans
3:27 p.m.
Fans booed loudly when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was shown on the video board.
Either there are a fair amount of locals in the stadium, or international fans have their own feelings about Jones.
— Jim Barnes
GOAL: Spain 2, France 0
3:20 p.m.
Goal!
Spain moves ahead 2-0 on a strike by Pedro Porro in the 58th minute. France initially thought a foul would be called after Dani Olmo took a hit while making the pass to Porro.
Porro didn’t wait for the whistle and went for goal, getting the shot past Mike Maignan. With Spain’s elite defense controlling the pace, France will be hard-pressed to make a comeback in the final half-hour.
— Steven Johnson
English soccer superstar tries Texas barbecue
3:03 p.m.
David Beckham, one of England’s greatest soccer stars, came through the Metroplex for the World Cup, and he couldn’t leave without trying Terry Black’s Barbecue.
Beckham went to the Dallas location and also tried on some Texas headgear at the McKinney Hat Company.
— Lawrence Dow
Spain solidly favored with lead
2:59 p.m.
Spain is now a -186 favorite to advance at DraftKings holding a 1-0 lead at halftime, implying a 65% chance of winning. Spain was a +133 underdog before the match, implying a 43% chance.
Spain is a -122 favorite to win in regulation. France is +456, and a draw is +245.
— Jim Barnes
HALFTIME: Spain 1, France 0
2:54 p.m.
Spain leads France 1-0 after a physical opening half. There were more fouls and yellow cards handed out than shots on target, but so far the pacing has favored Spain.
La Roja did a superb job limiting the touches of world-class striker Kylian Mbappe, with the Spanish midfield being the unsung heroes of the first half. France couldn’t complete many of its signature long ball passes due to positioning of Spain’s midfielders and a number of timely deflections.
Will France be able to break through in the second half?
— Steven Johnson
Olympic legend in the building
2:43 p.m.
Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is at AT&T Stadium for the match and received a warm response when he was shown on the video board.
The Jamaican remains the world record-holder in the 100 and 200 meters.
— Jim Barnes
Spain just misses out on 2-0 lead
2:37 p.m.
Spain comes within inches of extending its lead to 2-0 in the 39th minute after Lamine Yamal almost completed a pass to surging Fabian Ruiz right in front of the net.
French defender Dayot Upamecano broke it up at the very last second to keep France in the match.
— Steven Johnson
France struggling to break back line
2:33 p.m.
We’ve been through a half-hour in this one, and France has only been able to materialize one shot, but it hasn’t been for a lack of effort.
The Blues have attempted to turn their high-octane attack into shot attempts, but the world-class Spain back line has stood firm when approached by France’s deadly trio of attackers.
It’s an unusual challenge for France to have to overcome in this World Cup, as it has had relative ease working deep into the opposing box for shots on goal — and goals themselves.
— Nick Harris
A key injury for France
2:30 p.m.
The hits keep coming for France as key defender William Saliba limped off the pitch in the 31st minute. Saliba fell awkwardly while receiving a pass, and now Les Bleus will be without one of their best defenders.
— Steven Johnson
Spain leads 1-0 on penalty kick
2:22 p.m.
Another foul has been called on France, and this time it resulted in a penalty after a sloppy tackle attempt on Spain winger Lamine Yamal. It’s third foul in the final third by France in the first half.
Mikel Oyarzabal struck the penalty kick with ease to put Spain ahead 1-0 in the 22nd minute.
— Steven Johnson
Scene at Sundance Square
2:15 p.m.
About 200 people have gathered in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth to watch the France-Spain match. Not as packed as the area has been for U.S. and Mexico matches, but solid nonetheless.
Most are sitting in the shaded area in front of the Telemundo broadcast.
— Cal Phillips
Yellow card for France
2:12 p.m.
Less than 10 minutes into the match and we have a yellow card!
French defender Adrien Rabiot was issued the card after a rough tackle on Spain’s Dani Olmo. The decision led to a free kick for Spain, but La Roja was unable to threaten French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
So far, the match has been a physical contest with both sides feeling each other out.
— Steven Johnson
We are underway
2 p.m.
France and Spain are underway with a berth in the World Cup final on the line.
Jameis Winston decked out in French gear
1:46 p.m.
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, a roaming correspondent for Fox Sports, met with fans outside AT&T Stadium wearing a France jersey and a beret while holding a baguette.
He practiced his French chants and pronunciation, giving a slight nod to Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen’s viral “Duval” moment. Afterward, he took pictures with countless fans.
— Charles Baggarly
A European showdown
1:40 p.m.
It’s fitting that the top two teams in Europe find themselves squaring off in a World Cup semifinal. France, led by its superstar trio of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, leads a high-octane attack against a defensively sound Spain squad that has allowed just one goal in the entire tournament.
Historically, Spain has had the edge over The Blues (18-13-7 all-time), largely due to its success over the past two decades. France has won just one competitive match against La Roja since 2006, but it enters this match as the betting favorite behind its superteam front.
Spain’s young superstar Lamine Yamal will look to create opportunities for Mikel Oyarzabal early on to keep pace with whatever offensive strategy France throws on the pitch.
— Nick Harris
Spain’s teenage star is confident
1:32 p.m.
France and Spain’s soccer rivalry is already arguably the most intense on the international level, but Tuesday’s match could be more intense than usual thanks to Spanish winger Lamine Yamal.
The 19-year-old rising star took to social media in the hours leading up to the semifinal with a post reminiscing about the last time the two teams faced. Spain jumped out to a 5-1 lead and held on to defeat France 5-4 in the Nations League final in June 2025.
Yamal has won his last five knockout matches against France superstar Kylian Mbappe and seems very confident about extending his win streak to six.
— Steven Johnson
Concession prices could be worse
12:51 p.m.
Eating and drinking at a World Cup match at AT&T Stadium isn’t cheap, but DFW fans don’t face the highest prices.
According to one study of World Cup venues, Miami has the most expensive food, powered by a $75 signature dish of caviar-topped tater tots.
The study added up the cost of five items: a classic food such as a hot dog or burger, a beer, a World Cup signature dish, a snack and a bottle of water.
AT&T Stadium is merely No. 4 with a cost of $70.70 for the five items, trailing Miami ($110), Boston ($78) and Kansas City ($73.12).
— Lawrence Dow
France is here; Spain is on the way
12:27 p.m.
The video board at AT&T Stadium showed the France bus pulling into the parking lot, then showed the Spain bus en route on what appeared to be Interstate 30.
The Star-Telegram’s Charles Baggarly saw the France bus blow by from the media shuttle:
Led by a lengthy, motorcycle police escort, Team France’s bus made its way toward AT&T Stadium.
Meanwhile, fans watched in near standstill traffic, struggling to make it to the stadium, which will soon be packed with about 70,000 people.
Bettors lean toward France
12:15 p.m.
France, the 2018 World Cup champion and 2022 runner-up, is a modest favorite today.
France is -138 at DraftKings to advance to the finals, implying a 58% chance of victory. A bettor would have to wager $138 to profit $100 on France advancing.
France is +156 to win in regulation, meaning a bettor could wager $100 to profit $156 if Les Bleus prevail in the first 90 minutes. Spain is +233, and a draw is +213.
The total — the combined number of goals scored by both teams in regulation — is 2.5.
Not surprisingly, French superstar Kylian Mbappe is the most likely to score a goal in the match at -117. He is tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the most goals in the tournament with eight.
Mbappe is the +257 favorite to score the first goal of the match.
— Jim Barnes
Two hours away
12 p.m.
A look at the pitch two hours before kickoff.
Fans are slowly filing in and enjoying getting their chance to shine on the massive video board.
— Jim Barnes
World Cup winners and losers for DFW
11:45 a.m.
The World Cup is being considered a great success for Dallas-Fort Worth economically and culturally.
“In one month, the World Cup generated roughly half as much revenue for Arlington as AT&T Stadium does in a year, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said Monday, declaring that the tournament had a ‘substantial’ economic impact on his city,” Star-Telegram reporter Matthew Adams writes.
Meanwhile, columnist Mac Engel declares winners and losers for the event, from the Stockyards to TCU.
Spain has claimed victory at AT&T Stadium already
11:42 a.m.
Spain will be familiar with AT&T Stadium after claiming a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16 on July 6.
Here’s all the Star-Telegram’s coverage of that match:
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Live updates: World’s No. 1 team upset in last World Cup match in Arlington."