L'Equipe hands out savage 2/10 ratings as France crash out of World Cup 2026 to Spain

France's World Cup dream ended in Dallas on Tuesday night, and the French press did not hold back. L'Equipe's notoriously unforgiving player ratings delivered a brutal verdict after Les Bleus were outclassed 2-0 by Spain in the semifinals. Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty and Pedro Porro's clinical finish sent Spain to Sunday's final and left Didier Deschamps' side with nothing but regret. The French were second best from start to finish, unable to handle Spain's control and creativity. L'Equipe, never shy with low marks, handed out three scores of 2/10 and three of 3/10 among the starting XI and the manager. Left-back Lucas Digne bore the brunt of the criticism after his clumsy challenge on teenage sensation Lamine Yamal conceded the penalty. He got a 2. Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise also received 2s. Kylian Mbappe, so often France's savior, could only manage a 3, while manager Didier Deschamps was also given a 3 for a night where nothing worked. Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot were the only outfield starters to escape with a 5. William Saliba did not play enough to be rated. Bradley Barcola, who started ahead of Desire Doue, got a 4. Mike Maignan earned a 4 in goal. The defeat marks the end of an era. Deschamps, in charge since 2012, will step down after 14 years. France are expected to turn to Zinedine Zidane, the legendary former midfielder who has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. Zidane, like Deschamps, won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and has three Champions League titles as a coach.