Spain advances to World Cup final with win over France, awaits winner between England vs. Argentina

The 2026 World Cup comes to an end this weekend, with Spain taking on either England or Argentina.

Houston is done hosting our seven matches. And now, we're finally getting our first hard numbers, showing just how many people came to our city for the World Cup, but results seem to be mixed.

"The Netherlands for sure, it was a big crowd," said Rico Fernandino, an assistant manager of The Pit Room, a BBQ restaurant with locations in Montrose and the Memorial area.

The famous Dutch orange bus stopped at the restaurant, and the owner said, fans drank this place out of another iconic Dutch export: Heineken.

According to the owner, both The Pit Room and another he owns, the Tex-Mex Cadente, saw a 30 to 50% increase in sales this year compared to last year, with tourists excited to try our local flavor.

"People just wanted to see the big rib just to take a picture of it, but once they saw it, they ended up buying a whole big rib for themselves," said Fernandino.

We haven't heard the same excitement from all restaurants, though.

The owners of Koffeteria bakery and café in EADO say sales are way down due to road closures and traffic around the Fan Festival.

Results are also mixed when it comes to hotels.

Houston First Corporation, which uses both taxpayer funds and private donations to market our city, released numbers Tuesday from the first two weeks of the World Cup.

It turns out fewer people than usual stayed in Houston hotels, but those who did paid more.

According to Houston First, hotel occupancy in Houston was down nearly 2% in June compared to last year.

The average daily rate for hotels, though, was up 16%

Occupancy at short-term rentals, like Airbnbs, was also down 2%, while prices were up nearly 40%.

"When you have Super Bowl or Final Four, usually the day after they announce, you have no rooms to sell. In this, we were not even close to that." Explained Emre Ozsut, the Regional Director of Sales at The Lancaster Hotel downtown.

Ozsut said the World Cup brought fewer guests than he expected and an obsession he didn't see coming.

"Everyone ordered a side of ranch, and at one point, our chef was like, 'What is going on? Why is everyone ordering a side of ranch?' I guess it was their first time trying it, and they really enjoyed it. And Texas beer was very popular. Everybody was asking for it, especially guests from Holland; they were big fans of the Shiner," he said.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by teenager Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro added another goal and Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday.

A day after his 19th birthday, Yamal was denied a goal on a close offside call that came soon after Porro's give-and-go with Dani Olmo in the 58th minute had put Spain up 2-0. But it was Yamal's smart play against a veteran defender that put Spain in the lead.

Spain will face either defending champion Argentina or England on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They face each other on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Kylian Mbappé and France, FIFA's top-ranked team, were trying to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. They instead will play in the third-place game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, the day before the final at MetLife Stadium across the river from New York City.

This win on soccer's biggest stage marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match. Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals just days before his 17th birthday, and La Roja won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.

After a quarterfinal win over Belgium last Friday, Yamal said he believed France should fear Spain. Those words certainly proved true.

Oyarzabal's penalty kick in the 22nd minute came after Yamal drew a foul when kicked by defender Lucas Digne.

After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge in the penalty area. The ball hit off the elbow of the leaping teen before he was kicked by Digne, playing in his 63rd game for France only six days before his 33rd birthday.

Oyarzabal's fifth goal of this year's World Cup marked the first time either team has trailed in their seven games in this tournament. It was his 30th goal in 60 international games for Spain.

Kylian Mbappé and France haven't trailed at all in this year's World Cup. Neither has Spain with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and clutch goal-scoring substitute Mikel Merino.

Only one of those teams can make it to the final.

France and Spain, both at their 17th World Cup, have met only once previously on soccer's biggest stage. They play Tuesday at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys in the first of two powerhouse semifinal matches.

After entering this tournament as FIFA's top-ranked team, France has outscored its opponents 14-2. Mbappé, the 2022 Golden Boot winner, has eight goals to match Lionel Messi for the scoring lead this time, and is one behind the Argentina captain's career record of 21 at the World Cup.

"We are confident, of course, with the course we have done so far, and we have to be," France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said. "But always with this humility that has characterized us since the beginning of the competition."

The 27-year-old Mbappé has 20 goals in his 20 World Cup matches, including one in the 2018 win over Croatia when he joined Pele as the only teenagers to score in a World Cup final. Coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappé is fine physically after exiting in the 77th minute of Les Bleus' quarterfinal win over Morocco after scoring a goal.

Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday, has already been part of two semifinal wins with Spain over France. He was just days shy of his 17th birthday when he scored in a 2-1 win during the 2024 European Championship semifinals, and Spain won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.

"I believe if France has to fear anyone, it should be us, in my opinion," Yamal said after Spain's quarterfinal victory over Belgium. "We were the ones that knocked them out before."

Police said Monday they are investigating the death of South Africa World Cup soccer player Jayden Adams, after his body was discovered this weekend at a property in the city of Cape Town.

The 25-year-old Adams died two weeks after helping South Africa reach the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time.

Authorities have not released a cause of death.

"Cape Town central police registered an inquest for investigation following the discovery of the body of a 25-year-old male on Saturday," police said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. "Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation."

Police said the body was discovered at a property in the Cape Town neighborhood of Schotsche Kloof at around 11 a.m. on Saturday, but gave no more details.

Adams' father, Juanito Adams, told South African TV news station eNCA on Sunday that the family was waiting for the results of an autopsy and had not yet made any funeral plans.

"As you all know, it was an untimely death. The family is struggling to process it," Juanito Adams said. "It won't be easy to carry on. People say it will become easier, but it won't. You just learn to live with it."

Adams played in all three of South Africa's group games as it produced its best performance at the World Cup. He did not feature in the 1-0 loss to Canada in the round of 32 on June 28.

South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said Adams had played in his team's group game against the Czech Republic hours after learning that his grandmother had died. McKenzie asked the public and media to "exercise restraint and compassion" and not speculate on the cause of Adams' death while authorities conduct an investigation.

There were moments of silence and tributes for Adams at the England vs. Norway and Argentina vs. Switzerland World Cup quarterfinal games on Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.