Spain ended France's positive run of results at the World Cup, beating them 2-0 in the semi-final of the 2026 edition to halt a streak of 10 consecutive matches without defeat, and preventing Les Bleus from reaching the final for the third time in a row.
Spain booked their place in the final after their victory over France in the semi-final, setting up a meeting with the winner of the England versus Argentina match.
The defeat by Spain brought to an end the French run that had begun in the third round of the group stage at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when France lost to Tunisia.
From that match onwards, France had kept their record clean of defeats at the World Cup, as their loss to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final on penalties was not counted as a defeat, given that both regular and extra time had ended in a draw.
In the knockout rounds of the previous edition, France achieved three consecutive victories, beating Poland 3-1 in the round of 16, then defeating England 2-1 in the quarter-final, before winning against Morocco 2-0 in the semi-final, only to lose the title to Argentina on penalties.
France continued their strong run at the 2026 World Cup, recording 6 consecutive victories against Senegal, Iraq, Norway, Sweden, Paraguay, and Morocco, before Spain halted the streak and eliminated them in the semi-final.