Angry Dembélé halftime speech sparks tension in France dressing room after World Cup semifinal loss

Ousmane Dembélé has caused a rift within the France national team after delivering a fiery halftime speech during their 0-2 semifinal defeat to Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to L'Equipe. The Paris Saint-Germain winger tried to rally his teammates following a poor first half, but his words backfired badly. Several players were furious that Dembélé—who had a subpar performance himself, making repeated mistakes—dared to criticize the group so harshly. France couldn't find an answer to Spain's dominance, conceding goals to Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. Les Bleus failed to register a single shot on target until stoppage time of the second half. Didier Deschamps' side will now face England on July 19 in the third-place play-off.