France x Spain — resultado e estatísticas (14/07/2026)

Spain's coach opened the press conference by offering condolences to the families of victims of the deadly Almería fire and to the relatives of the mother of national team photographer Ángel Martínez, who died on the day of the match. According to a reporter, the team reached a historic milestone — only the second time in Spain's history, after 2010, when the side went on to win that World Cup.

The coach explained his decision to leave Pedri on the bench in favor of Fabián, who scored, and to bring on substitute Mikel Merino, who scored the winning goal, stressing that all decisions are based on detailed analysis of the opponent and players' abilities rather than any hierarchy of importance. Many journalists are calling the upcoming match against France an "early final"; the coach called that fair, acknowledging France's exceptional potential, but noted Spain is the only team to have beaten France in their last two meetings, both of which were semifinals.

He described Merino as an extremely versatile player capable of performing at a top level in positions ranging from defensive midfielder to out-and-out striker. He also highlighted goalkeeper Unai Simón's historic World Cup record for minutes without conceding, crediting it to the whole team's defensive work.

He noted his own achievement of 13 matches unbeaten across the Euros and World Cups, thanking the players and coaching staff for their support.

Didier Deschamps held a pre-match press conference ahead of France's World Cup 2026 semi-final against Spain. He confirmed Aurélien Tchouaméni is back in contention: the risk was too high to use him in the previous match, but he is now available, though not fully recovered.

Deschamps addressed the competition between Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué on the left flank, saying both are capable starters and the choice partly depends on Doué's ability to cut inside on his left foot against Spain's setup built around Yamal. He acknowledged Spain's strong defense and ball control but insisted France can also create problems, expecting an open, high-quality match between two attacking sides.

Asked about France's last two defeats to Spain (Euro and Nations League), he said there is no revenge motive — only tomorrow's match and the single spot in the final matter. He also confirmed Kylian Mbappé trained and is fully fit for the game.

The match falls on July 14, Bastille Day, which Deschamps called symbolic for France, adding the squad will not settle for merely reaching the semi-final.

Didier Deschamps acknowledged Spain's superiority after France's World Cup 2026 semi-final defeat, saying his side made more technical errors than in previous matches. He linked the collapse to fatigue and the losses of Saliba (injury) and Adrien Rabiot, who played under a yellow-card risk.

Deschamps stressed that facing a team like Spain demanded maximum sharpness and technical quality, which France failed to deliver. Pressed on refereeing decisions, including a first-half penalty, he declined to elaborate, saying he didn't want to sound like he was complaining about the loss while hinting the calls were debatable.

Asked about his personal future as head coach, Deschamps said it wasn't the moment to discuss it, expressing pride in the team's run. He also explained substituting Ibrahima Konate for Maxence Caqueret as a positional choice, noting Konate wasn't at his best and usually plays right-back for Liverpool.

Spain thrashed France to reach the World Cup final, in what the coach called the most complete performance of his tenure. He described a congratulatory call from Spain's king and thanked fans who filled the streets across the country.

He said the pre-match message was that France were among the best teams in the world, but Spain were the best team in the world, and that mindset was key to shutting down France's attack led by Mbappe, Dembele and Olise. The coach explained the plan targeted space behind France's first pressing line, and praised the players for interpreting the tactics brilliantly on the pitch.

Asked about France coach Deschamps' comments blaming refereeing, he responded evenly, acknowledging tight calls on both sides but refusing to use officiating as an excuse. On the final opponent, Argentina or England, he said he had no preference and welcomed either with open arms, citing his friendship with Lionel Scaloni and respect for England's squad.

On fitness, he said one player had no significant issue and Pedro Porro appeared to have an overload problem, with full assessment due the next day. He closed by rejecting sentimental cliches about simply enjoying a final, insisting finals exist to be won.