Why France's Firepower Wasn't Enough Against Spain ?

France arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with what many considered the tournament's most frightening attack. Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, and a wealth of attacking depth made Les Bleus one of the favorites to lift the trophy. Yet in the semi-finals, Spain managed to do what no previous opponent had achieved: silence France's greatest weapon. Why?

If you had asked football fans before the tournament who would win the World Cup, most answers would probably have mentioned between four and six traditional football powers.

Among them, France often stood out because of one particular reason: their attack.