De la Fuente salutes ‘best team in world’ Spain after France upset

ARLINGTON, United States — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente saluted his players as the “best team in the world” on Tuesday after a stunning 2-0 World Cup semi-final upset of France.

De la Fuente, who had repeatedly said Spain were the best side in the tournament, was left beaming with pride as La Roja outplayed France to reach Sunday’s World Cup final.

It was another tactical masterpiece by the Spanish coach, who oversaw La Roja’s European Championship victory in 2024 and has now beaten France in three-straight competitive matches.

“We started almost four years ago with an idea and we’ve been faithful to that idea and it’s brought us here,” de la Fuente said.

Spain’s forward Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates Lamine Yamal (left) and Aymeric Laporte during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between France and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 14, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

“Today we faced one of the best national teams in the world, but in front of them they had the best team in the world. That is different.”

De la Fuente is now contemplating Spain’s first World Cup final appearance since 2010.

“These players deserve everything, day after day they’ve showed their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent,” de la Fuente added of his team. “They make the difficult look easy.”