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"If anyone should worry France, it's us," Lamine Yamal boldly declared following Spain's 2–1 victory over Belgium in the second quarterfinal of the 2026 World Cup.
It's difficult to dispute Yamal's claim, even though Spain required 88 minutes and a blunder from Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens to seal the result at SoFi Stadium—substitute Mikel Merino was the fortunate recipient after Manchester United's No. 1, who was only on the pitch because Thibaut Courtois had departed with a quadricep injury 20 minutes from time, spilled Pau Cubarsí's fairly routine low shot directly into his path.
Yamal has netted just once at this World Cup—a sharp contrast to the other headline stars of the tournament—yet his quality was on full display for Spain's opening goal. Some remarkably intelligent and understated movement drew Belgium's left back Maxim de Cuyper out of position, allowing Pedro Porro to deliver the cross that Fabián Ruiz would ultimately convert.
Charles De Ketelaere's equalizer briefly raised the prospect of extra time before Merino's late winner, which was thoroughly warranted given Spain's dominance—68% possession, 41 touches inside Belgium's penalty area, and eight shots on target.
"We've eliminated them before. We've beaten them twice," Yamal said with conviction after the match. "Honestly, I believe we're the two strongest teams at this World Cup, so we'll see what unfolds, but we have absolutely no fear."
France the Team Everyone Is Talking About
Norway and Erling Haaland, England and Harry Kane, and Argentina and Lionel Messi are all, at the time of writing, still present at this World Cup, yet the conversation has been dominated by France's so-called 'fabulous front four.'
Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise form the core of Les Bleus' attacking unit, with the trio complemented by the equally gifted Bradley Barcola or Désiré Doué, depending on which attacking setup manager Didier Deschamps chooses to deploy.
Zlatan Ibrahimović, appearing as a pundit on Fox's broadcast, believes Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise rank among the top five players on the planet, alongside Haaland and Yamal. "This France team is going to destroy you, and it feels like they're not even operating at 100%," he warned ominously following the 2–0 win over Morocco. "I'm sorry to say it, but that's how it looks. Just imagine if they really pushed themselves to the limit and gave everything they had."
France will certainly need to dig deep against Spain, drawing on the painful memory of their semifinal defeat at Euro 2024. "You know exactly what Spain is capable of," Thierry Henry cautioned after that same Morocco fixture.
It's evident that Spain has yet to hit top gear this summer. A draw with Cabo Verde signaled a sluggish start to their campaign, but a resolute defense has allowed the midfield and attack to grow into the tournament with each successive match. Dani Olmo and Pedri have stood out with their movement and passing, while Mikel Oyarzabal has looked sharp in attack and Yamal has produced moments of genuine brilliance throughout.
Yamal's Confidence Radiating Through Spain's Camp
Yamal is far from the only one who believes Spain can overcome France. Manager Luis de la Fuente, who continues to extract the very best from a technically exceptional squad, acknowledged that confidence within the camp is running high—and understandably so. This is only the second time Spain has ever reached the World Cup semifinals, and the one previous occasion they did, they lifted the trophy.
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"The expectations are extremely high heading into the next match," he told the media. "We're fully focused on this game and very much aware of what our next opponent is capable of. But we are also absolutely certain that we can beat France."
"We have the quality, and it's another semifinal. We've faced them at this stage before and came out on top. The match will be incredibly demanding and intense. We'll need to produce our very best performance."