Spanish teenage sensation Lamine Yamal wasted no time looking ahead after leading La Roja to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, sending a confident message to their title rivals with a post on social media: “nuevayol vamos por ti” – translated as “New York, we’re coming for you.“Minutes after Spain defeated France 2-0 in the semifinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Yamal shared photos of the historic victory on Instagram, making it clear that reaching the final was just part of the mission. Spain will now travel to the New York-New Jersey Stadium for Sunday’s showdown, where they will face either defending champions Argentina or England, who will meet in the second semi-final in Atlanta.
Yamal delivers on the biggest stage
The 19-year-old played a decisive role in Spain’s return to the World Cup finals for the first time since their 2010 triumph in South Africa.Yamal was one of two teenagers, alongside Pau Cubarsi, to start for Spain against France – marking the first time in World Cup history that a team featured two teenage starters in a semi-final.The Barcelona forward produced the breakthrough moment in the 22nd minute when he deftly won possession from Lucas Digne before being brought down in the penalty area. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick to give Spain the lead. France struggled to disrupt Spain’s control as Luis de la Fuente’s side dominated possession and dictated time. After the break, Spain doubled their lead when Pedro Porro combined with Dani Olmo before finding the bottom corner with a composed finish.Yamal thought he would have added a third soon after, but his effort was ruled out for marginal offside. France pushed forward Kylian Mbappé and Aurelien Tchouameni, but Spain’s defense held firm to secure their sixth clean sheet in seven games at the tournament.
The celebrations in Spain begin, but the focus shifts to end
The win sparked wild celebrations in Spain, with the national team’s official account sharing a video of the players dancing, singing and celebrating their return to football’s biggest stage.“The shouts broke out, the dances took place, the celebrations happened… Come to the locker room of the Spanish National Team and unleash the forbidden movements! the team posted on social media.Beyond the celebrations, Spain’s semi-final performance highlighted their evolution into a complete side. After relying heavily on attacking brilliance before the tournament, La Roja combined defensive discipline with clinical finishing to overcome one of the strongest teams in the competition.Oyarzabal continued his remarkable form, scoring his 18th goal in his last 20 appearances for Spain and becoming only the sixth player to reach 30 international goals for the nation.For Spain, the final represents a chance to add a second World Cup crown to their history. His only previous finals appearance ended in glory in 2010, when Andres Iniesta scored the extra-time winner against the Netherlands.Now, with Yamal having already delivered his New York message, Spain is one victory away from another unforgettable chapter.