The French coach, Didier Deschamps asked not to reduce the danger of Spain only to Lamine Yamal on the eve of the semi-final of the World Cup 2026. The coach recognized that the young Barcelona winger “can make a difference”, but insisted that La Roja has numerous players capable of deciding a match and once again pointed out Luis de la Fuente’s team as the favorite for the title.
The coach recalled France’s last two defeats against Spain, in the semifinals of Euro 2024 and in the Nations League, although he made it clear that these antecedents will have no influence on the duel in Arlington. He also highlighted the solidity of the Spanish team, its dominance of possession and its offensive capacity, although he is confident that France can impose its own weapons to reach the final.
Mbappé reaches 100% against Spain
In addition, Deschamps reassured about Kylian Mbappé’s physical condition after the blow to his ankle against Morocco and assured that the French captain is “100%” ready to play in the match. Regarding his imminent farewell to the French bench, he avoided looking to the past and settled any comparison with the recent confrontations against Spain: “What interests me is tomorrow.”
Midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery spoke along the same lines, highlighting the “extraordinary” quality of Lamine Yamal, but recalled that football is a collective sport and that Spain has international-class players in all its lines. He also joked about Mbappé, stating that the forward will not want to return to Spain after a defeat because “I don’t think he wants to lose and be teased by returning to Spain.”
