Footballing immortality had been within touching distance. On a sweltering afternoon in Dallas, it slipped away.

Spain suffocated France deep in the heart of Texas on Tuesday, powering into their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010 with a spellbinding 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.

Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. These are not the names most casual World Cup viewers would recognise.

Kylian Mbappe rued the end of France's World Cup dream on Wednesday, blaming tactical and technical blunders for his side's 2-0 semifinal defeat to France.

European champions Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday, producing a controlled display to book a place in Sunday's final.

France recalled Bradley Barcola to their attack and Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield for their World Cup semifinal against Spain on Wednesday as Luis de la Fuente named an unchanged side.

Showcase the striking "stadium-runway" style of France’s national football team during the World Cup season. Stars like Marcus Thuram and Kylian Mbappé traded sports gear for luxury Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton bags in Boston.

It is one of the puzzling paradoxes of this World Cup: France captain Mbappe is shining as brightly as ever for Les Bleus ahead of Wednesday's semifinal [1am, Bangladesh Time] against Spain in Dallas.

The dazzling Yamal is still catching up off the field, but his record against Mbappe on the pitch is impressive.

France vs Spain, 1am, Wednesday [Bangladesh Time] Argentina vs England, 1am, Thursday [Bangladesh Time]

Speaking on German broadcaster Magenta TV while covering the FIFA World Cup, Klopp recalled the elaborate efforts Liverpool made to convince the then-teenage French forward and his family to choose Anfield over Paris Saint-Germain.

Coming into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France were always tipped as the team to beat.

Mbappe is a competitive beast that simply refuses to be contained, and at this point the World Cup is fast becoming entirely synonymous with the French superstar.

Mbappe became the youngest player to reach 20 World Cup appearances at the age of 27 and also equalled Hugo Lloris' French record for matches played at the tournament.

France produced a performance that stripped away the romance and reminded everyone why they remain one of international football's gold standards.

France never doubted they would go through despite Kylian Mbappe missing a penalty and having wasted several chances in the first half in their World Cup quarter-final clash against Morocco, coach Didier Deschamps said on Thursday.

A disappointed Morocco said they had hoped to progress past the World Cup quarterfinals, but had to accept they lost to a better team as France eliminated them 2-0 in Thursday's tie.

Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarterfinal showdown today.

A chance for revenge, compelling man-to-man duels, and a battle between attacking fluency and tactical composure -- all are set to unfold at Boston Stadium when tournament favourites France take on a Moroccan side that have steadily established themselves as one of world football's genuine powerhouses.

Before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, European heavyweights France and Spain were widely regarded as the leading contenders for the title, thanks to the remarkable depth and quality of their squads as well as their recent form.