Yamal provokes France ahead of semi-final: "They should be the ones afraid"

Lamine Yamal did not wait for kick-off to launch hostilities. After Spain’s victory over Belgium (2-1) in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, the FC Barcelona winger sent a direct message to the French team, which he will face on Tuesday in Dallas in the semi-final.

“We are not afraid of France. Maybe it’s them who should be afraid of us. We knocked them out twice in a row in semi-finals,” said the 17-year-old player to Spanish media after the match. A statement that echoes two recent precedents: the 2-1 victory in the Euro 2024 semi-final, then the 5-4 success against France in the 2025 Nations League.

His manager Luis de la Fuente backed up his prodigy’s message. “I think France should be as concerned as we are. Let us remind that we beat them twice in a row. These are two incredible teams,” he said in the post-match press conference.

Yamal, named man of the match for the second consecutive time in this tournament, continued along the same lines to several media outlets. “Spain and France are the two best national teams in this World Cup. If there is a team that can face France with confidence, it is us,” he stated. He also highlighted the collective dominance of La Roja since the start of the competition: “No team has faced us as equals. They all fall back against us.”

The semi-final will thus pit the European champions, unbeaten since the start of the World Cup, against a French team that has also impressed since the start of the competition. The clash between the two favorites of the draw, announced from the draw itself, will indeed take place in Dallas next Tuesday.