France Loses to Spain in World Cup Semifinal, Fans Face Disappointing National Day

2026 World Cup Key News

Central News Agency Report

(CNA reporter Tseng I-Hsuan, Paris, July 14) The 'Gallic Rooster' France was defeated 0-2 by strong rival Spain in tonight's World Cup football semifinal, missing the chance to reach the final. This left Parisian fans spending a disappointing National Day.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media, congratulating Spain on advancing to the final while thanking the French team for their efforts. 'Tonight's defeat is hard to bear, but this team is still young and has a bright future,' he said.

Today marks France's National Day, and many Parisians wore jerseys and brought flags to restaurants or bars to watch the match. However, the atmosphere turned somber after Spain scored in the 22nd minute. Within seconds of the final whistle, the crowd quietly dispersed.

Benjamin, watching the match at a bar in Paris's 13th district, told CNA reporters: 'We're extremely disappointed. Everyone thought France would reach the final and win the championship. We're deeply let down, but Spain played better... It's disappointing, but that's football.'

He added: 'France had a winning trio tonight—Mbappé (Kylian Mbappé), Dembélé (Ousmane Dembélé), and Olise (Michael Olise). This was truly a championship-winning trio, but they were a bit underwhelming tonight.'

Nonetheless, Benjamin noted the team had consistently performed well, just failing to reach their potential in this match. 'I'm still proud of them. We'll come back stronger next time,' he said.

Another fan, Anaïs, said: 'I didn't expect this outcome. I thought both teams were evenly matched, so a 2-0 result is very disappointing... I thought we'd at least score, and we did have some chances, especially in the final stages. It's really regrettable.'

She said France had performed excellently in this tournament and had hoped for a better result. 'But it's okay. We still have two stars. We're still proud.'

France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018. This year, the national team showed strong offense and defense, raising hopes of adding a third star to their jerseys. Now, they will play in the third-place match at 11 PM French time on July 18 (5 AM Taiwan time on July 19).

Before the match, France ranked 1st and Spain 3rd on the FIFA world rankings. After the game, Spain rose to 1st, and France dropped to 2nd.

Argentina and England will play the other semifinal tomorrow. The winner will face Spain for the championship at 9 PM on July 19 (3 AM on July 20, Taiwan time). (Edited by Chang Chih-Hsuan) 1150715

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