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Through six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France have looked unbeatable with a perfect 6W-0D-0L record and 16 goals in the tournament. Its next opponent is Spain in Tuesday’s semi-final at Dallas Stadium and Lamine Yamal is not worried at all.
“They haven’t beaten us since the EC,” Yamal said. “They can’t be better than us.”
When asked about France’s form so far in the tournament compared to Spain, Yamal insisted the early results are not indicative of how the knockout rounds will unfold, pointing to another European powerhouse going home early.
“It doesn’t matter, the group stage doesn’t matter, look at Germany,” Yamal said.
The upcoming match has attracted considerable attention from fans and pundits alike, and the Spanish winger noted that the squad has been anticipating this specific challenge since the tournament began.
“We’ve been anxious for it to arrive,” Yamal said. “For me, we are the two best teams in the World Cup, but we are not afraid at all. I think that if there is a team that can confidently go up against France, it is us.”
In terms of tactics on the pitch, Yamal expects France to press Spain but doubts they can sustain that intensity across the pitch for 90 minutes or more.
“I expect a team that will come after us, but not for the whole game,” Yamal said. “I don’t think there is any team that can play us one-on-one all over the pitch. But we all know that France have players of enormous quality both up top and at the back and they are very physical.
“We will play the way we know and we will try to keep the ball.”
