France vs. Spain player ratings: Final grades for Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, others in 2026 World Cup semifinal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Having reached the final at each of the last two FIFA World Cup tournaments, France fell just short of the mark in 2026 as they were beaten in the semifinal by nemesis Spain by a 2-0 score.
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It was complete and utter dominance from La Roja, as they used a midfield advantage to smother France out of the game and mitigate its talented four-headed attack. France were completely cut off at the head as a result, leading to a struggle for Kylian Mbappe and his teammates from the opening whistle to the final kick.
Spain went ahead early on a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal after Lamine Yamal was kicked in the leg by Lucas Digne, forcing the referee to point to the spot. The second goal came early in the second half as Pedro Porro continued his exceptional World Cup by finishing off a one-two with Dani Olmo.
Mbappe came into the match as the joint leader for the World Cup Golden Boot alongside Lionel Messi, but his effect was minimized as he was locked down throughout the 90 minutes. Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele did their best to fill the void but struggled in their own right, as France mustered just two total shots on target the whole game.
The Sporting News brings you a full list of live player ratings for the match, analyzing both teams’ individual performances from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.
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MORE:Minute-by-minute recap of France vs. Spain from 2026 World Cup semifinal
France vs. Spain final score
Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Referee: Ivan Barton (HON)
France starting lineup:
4-2-3-1, right to left: 16. M. Maignan (GK) — 5. J. Kounda, 4. D. Upamecano, 17. W. Saliba (Lacroix, 30′), 3. L. Digne (T. Hernandez, 72′) — 8. A. Tchouameni, 14. A. Rabiot (M. Kone, 46′) — 7. O. Dembele, 11. M. Olise (R. Cherki, 72′), 12. B. Barcola (D. Doue, 57′) — 10. K. Mbappe
Spain starting lineup:
4-2-3-1, right to left: 23. U. Simon (GK) — 12. P. Porro (M. Llorente, 83′), 22. P. Cubarsi, 14. A. Laporte, 24. M. Cucurella — 16. Rodri, 8. F. Ruiz (M. Merino, 77′) — 19. Lamine Yamal, 10. D. Olmo (Pedri, 77′), 15. A. Baena (N. Williams, 83′) — 21. M. Oyarzabal (F. Torres, 74′)
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France player ratings vs. Spain
All ratings are on a 10-point scale.
Starters
Goalkeeper: Mike Maignon — 6
Dove to the correct side on Mikel Oyarzabal’s early penalty, but still couldn’t reach it. His distribution for the most part was good, and he commanded his penalty area well.
Hard to blame Maignan for Pedro Porro’s goal, but also could have been saved. Overall Maignan
Right-back: Jules Kounde — 7
Despite the lack of possessional dominance for France, Kounde was heavily involved in many of their movements, getting high up the pitch to help move the ball forward. Also did well keeping Marc Cucurella in check, forcing Spain to attack down the right for the most part.
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Right center-back: Dayot Upamecano — 7
Excellent defending Spain’s attacking possession through the first half, especially with a key block on a shot by Fabian Ruiz in the 38th minute which deflected the ball just wide at the last possible moment. Finished with six defensive contributions and 50-of-54 passing including 5-of-7 long balls. A strong performance overall from Upamecano, the defensive frailties were down to other players.
Left center-back: William Saliba — N/A
With only 10 touches through the first 30 minutes, Saliba’s back completely gave out on the half-hour mark, and he was forced to come off.
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Left-back: Lucas Digne — 4
Conceded a complete disaster of a penalty, as he let the ball bounce over his head on a switch to Lamine Yamal, and completely whiffed on his clearance, kicking the young Spain winger right in the quad instead. Struggled to deal with Lamine all first half.
It didn’t get much better in the second half, and he was replaced with 18 minutes left.
Central midfielder: Aurelien Tchouameni — 7
A possessional machine for France to help them keep the ball as much as they could. Unable to control the midfield all on his own, as he was numerically overwhelmed, but managed to help France maintain possession as well as he could.
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Tchouameni cropped up all over the field, making seven defensive contributions while also trying to usher the ball forward. For the difficult situation he was placed in, the Real Madrid star made the most of what he could.
Central midfielder: Adrien Rabiot — 5
Got his match started with a wayward forward pass out of play just a minute into the game, reminiscent of his spotty distribution this tournament. His defending was on point minutes later, however, when he bodied Lamine Yamal off the ball while riding the line of a foul well, not drawing the referee’s whistle.
Gave away a foul just on top of the penalty area eight minutes in with a foul on Dani Olmo, booked for the challenge as he won the ball but followed through and stamped on Olmo’s foot. Hooked at halftime to protect him from getting sent off.
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Right winger: Ousmane Dembele — 4
For a former Ballon d’Or winner, this was an extremely poor performance. Fed on scraps early on with France playing on the counter. Wasted a free kick in the 31st minute as he fed it right to the goalkeeper. Struggled to make an impact in the first half overall, as he was caught offside a few times.
In the second half, his struggles continued as he wasted a 54th-minute move that had seemed to get Spain off-balance but came to an end when Dembele’s vertical ball down the right was way too long for Jules Kounde. It should have been Dembele coming off late for Rayan Cherki instead of Olise.
Attacking midfielder: Michael Olise — 6
Worked very hard in transition trying to get Kylian Mbappe involved, but his early efforts in that regard were rebuffed by Spain. A lot of what Olise did in the first half didn’t work, but you could see the wheels turning, and given more time you could see it being effective.
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Against greater numbers in midfield, Olise did his best to haul France back into the game, but he was shockingly taken off with 18 minutes to go for Rayan Cherki, as Dechamps went for the like-for-like change instead of bring Cherki on for Ousmane Dembele who had an extremely poor game.
Left winger: Bradley Barcola — 6
A good start to the match as he won the game’s first corner five minutes in as he gets on the end of a good France counter-attack. Only had 15 touches in the first half but they all came in dangerous areas as he was heavily involved in transitions. Didn’t do much in the second half before being swapped out for Desire Doue.
Striker: Kylian Mbappe — 5
Ran a brilliant counter-attack one-on-three in the 16th minute to keep France involved when it appeared their transitional opportunity had evaporated before it began.
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From there, however, it faded for Mbappe as he struggled to link up with teammates. Was stonewalled twice by Pau Cubarsi in dribbles at the top corner of the penalty area. Did not have a single shot in the first half.
After halftime, the struggles continued. Despite the most touches in the penalty area of any player in the game, Mbappe had just two shots, one which was blocked at the top of the penalty area and one from a free-kick which he sailed over. When France needed magic from their superstar the most, he just didn’t have it.
France substitutes vs. Spain
30th min — Maxence Lacroix: 5
Came on after a half-hour for an injured William Saliba. Had heavy involvement in possession once he entered, with 22 touches in just 15 minutes of play at the end of the first half.
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After the break, it didn’t end up mattering due to the eventual offside flag, but Lacroix defended Lamine Yamal brilliantly in transition as the young teenager seemed to be clear on goal, but was caught by the France substitute and marshaled to the end line where Mike Maignan could cover it.
Completely fell asleep on Spain’s second goal, as Lacroix was caught ball watching instead of tracking Porro’s run through the line into the penalty area. He could have been tracked by a midfielder, but Lacroix should have been more aware that the full-back was sprinting through his area.
46th min — Manu Kone: 5
Came on for the booked Adrien Rabiot at halftime. Should have tracked Pedro Porro’s run through the France back line on Spain’s second goal, but completely turned his back on the full-back and had no idea he was continuing his sprint.
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Did his best in midfield to help shore things up for France, but the numerical disadvantage made it difficult.
56th min — Desire Doue: 7
Entered early in the second half for Bradley Barcola. Provided more danger than Barcola did, creating two chances and getting one of France’s two shots on target himself. He probably should have started instead of Barcola — another error from Deschamps.
72nd min — Rayan Cherki: 6
Came on for Michael Olise hoping to will the team back into the game. Had the same uphill battle that Olise had trying to get through a crowded midfield. He should have come on alongside Olise, not in place of him.
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72nd min — Theo Hernandez: 6
Entered for a struggling Lucas Digne hoping to keep Lamine Yamal from running amok. Did well to get up the pitch and chip in, but it was too little too late.
France coach vs. Spain
Didier Deschamps: 3
For such a decorated and brilliant manager, it’s almost hard to believe how wrong Didier Deschamps got it today. Before the game, we speculated in our tactical preview that Deschamps may add an extra midfielder, sacrificing one of his four attackers up front, helping to mitigate Spain’s midfield dominance.
Instead, Deschamps did nothing, and Spain took complete control of the match in the middle of the pitch. France were outnumbered 4v2 in midfield, as Spain dominated the match with three midfielders plus false nine Mikel Oyarzabal, who repeatedly tracked back into midfield to assist.
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As the game went on, it became increasingly obvious that France needed help in midfield, but Deschamps repeatedly stuck with his failing tactics. At halftime, Deschamps replaced Adrien Rabiot, who was on a yellow card, instead of risking him in a situation that needed risks to be taken. Then, with 18 minutes to go, Deschamps again made a like-for-like change, taking off the bright Michael Olise to bring on Rayan Cherki instead of sacrificing a winger to give them more midfield help.
For all his success and silverware in charge of France, Deschamps’ final match in charge was a complete and utter tactical disaster.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:
Spain player ratings vs. France
Starters
Goalkeeper: Unai Simon — 5
His distribution in the quarterfinal was poor, and he was wayward early in this one too, feeding his first long delivery right to a French player on the edge of the attacking third. Finished the first half 1-of-7 on long balls as he continued to give possession away every time he was forced to kick it deep.
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He completely flubbed a set-piece situation in the Spain penalty area, not communicating with Mikel Oyarzabal on a clearance as he tried to catch it and had the ball headed out of his grasp by his teammate.
Made a truly stunning double intervention in the 81st minute as he came miles off his line to prevent Kylian Mbappe from getting clean through on the counter, and then tracked back to make a block as Desire Doue tried to put the ball into the open net.
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Simon finished the match with three saves made, but none of them were particularly difficult. He also finished 6-of-23 with long balls, which is just not great.
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Right-back: Pedro Porro — 9
Pedro Porro has had a fantastic World Cup, and that continued today. Didn’t get nearly as high up the field as he did against Belgium, but still had a quality first half with good possessional control on the wing and three defensive contributions too, and winning both his aerial duels.
On the hour mark, Porro played a beautiful one-two with Dani Olmo, having the foresight to continue his run and receive the pass before finishing past Mike Maignan.
Watch Pedro Porro goal in USA:
Was eventually brought off for fresh legs to see the game out defensively.
Right center-back: Pau Cubarsi — 8
Had a great start to the game getting back in transition to cover while France counter-attacked. Defending while tracking back in space is Cubarsi’s biggest strength, which is why he has been such a consistent presence in Hansi Flick’s high line at Barcelona, and it showed here as he was the perfect defender to keep Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe in check.
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He only had half as many touches as his defensive partner Aymeric Laporte, but managed seven defensive contributions and cut off passing lanes all game, starring in the Spain high line.
Left center-back: Aymeric Laporte — 8
Made a fantastic early block in the eighth minute to prevent Michael Olise playing Kylian Mbappe in behind. Had the most touches of any player in the first half, and he was a monster defensively as well, logging a very strong first 45 minutes.
Finished the game with 86 touches, a game high, completing 70 passes while logging six defensive contributions. A fantastic performance on and off the ball.
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Left-back: Marc Cucurella — 6
Was very active on the left, but didn’t receive the ball as often as he would like as Spain were conservative in possession. Found himself harshly booked on the half-hour mark for shoving Michael Olise off the ball.
Cucurella wasn’t as bright and impressive as he usually is, but against a very high-quality full-back like Jules Kounde, it’s no surprise that Spain focused most attacking moves down the opposite wing.
Central midfielder: Rodri — 9
With Fabian Ruiz distributing possession forward, Rodri was free to focus on static possession and stopping French counter-attacks. It was an effective strategy, and held France in check.
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By the end of the match, Rodri was everywhere. He logged 82 touches, made six defensive contributions including four tackles, and won 7-of-11 ground duels plus all four of his aerial duels. A masterful performance that helped mitigate Michael Olise’s effect.
Central midfielder: Fabian Ruiz — 8
Ruiz was poor overall in the quarterfinal against Belgium, but started over Pedri again here and was better. He was central to Spain’s midfield dominance, distributing the ball all over the field. This allowed Rodri to focus more on stopping France counter-attacks, which he did effectively as well.
By the time he was hauled off with 13 minutes to go, he had logged a very positive performance.
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Right winger: Lamine Yamal — 7
Lamine had great foresight to make a challenge on the ball and win the early penalty on the kick from Lucas Digne. He collected just 18 touches in the first half, doing so without attempting a single take-on, but still caused lots of problems with his movement and combination.
He had the ball in the back of the net in the second half, but had the goal negated correctly by the offside flag.
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Only won 2-of-9 ground duels which limited his effect on the match, but helped open up spaces for others like Pedro Porro to have a bigger effect in the penalty area.
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Attacking midfielder: Dani Olmo — 8
A wonderful showing for Olmo who was the focal point of the Spain attack and provided danger all game. Combined beautifully with teammates in the attacking third over and over again, often receiving the ball with his back to goal as Mikel Oyarzabal dropped deep to help usher possession forward.
Olmo lost four of his first six ground duels in the game, but continued to test the France back line repeatedly. Nearly unlocked the French when he played in Lamine Yamal in the 38th minute that resulted in Fabian Ruiz’s miss.
Great vision to see Pedro Porro continuing his run on the second Spain goal, standing tall amongst pressure from behind to complete the flick and pick up the assist
Center forward: Mikel Oyarzabal — 7
Took a fabulous penalty to open the scoring in the match. Kylian Mbappe pointed in the direction he was going, and Mike Maignan still couldn’t get there. Dropped deep to receive the ball a ton, and barely had a sniff of any attacking possession but added to Spain’s midfield superiority, a masterclass from Luis de la Fuente in using a false nine.
Left wing: Alex Baena — 6
Wasn’t very involved in the match, as most of the Spain attack went down the right side and Marc Cucurella was the attacking focal point on the left wing, but did enough to provide possessional strength out wide and took two blocked shots.
Spain substitutes vs. France
74th min — Ferran Torres: 5
Came on for the final 16 minutes for goal scorer Mikel Oyarzabal. Had his trademark glaring miss as he put a header from eight yards wide four minutes after coming on.
77th min — Mikel Merino: 7
Entered off the bench for the third straight game. Didn’t make any runs forward with Spain needing to defend late, but had 15 touches while completing 9-of-10 passes and logging two defensive contributions.
77th min — Pedri: 7
Came on to replace Fabian Ruiz for the final 13 minutes of the game. Had a good impact in the middle of the pitch as the game became somewhat disjointed with France in panic mode.
83rd min — Marcos Llorente: 7
Entered for goal scorer Pedro Porro to help see out the end of the match defensively. Safe in possession and helpful defensively.
83rd min — Nico Williams: N/A
Came on for seven minutes plus added time to try and regain fitness ahead of the final.
Spain coach vs. France
Luis de la Fuente: 8
Luis de la Fuente may not have expected France to play into his hand this much, but he still had a brilliant game plan even if Didier Deschamps had added an extra midfielder like he should have.
Mikel Oyarzabal has been playing as a false nine all tournament long, but he did even more midfield work today than usual, dropping deep to help maintain Spain’s possessional advantage. Of course, this sacrifices the head of the attack, but de la Fuente encouraged other role players to make runs forward and play off Dani Olmo, with the likes of Marc Cucurella, Pedro Porro, Lamine Yamal, and Fabian Ruiz all making dedicated advances into the penalty area at various times.
There’s a reason de la Fuente has never lost a match as Spain manager, and it’s because of games like this.
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