The French press is unanimous in touting next Tuesday’s semifinal between Spain and France as one of the biggest matches of the 2026 World Cup, a matchup between the two teams that have played the best soccer so far, marked by Spain’s recent victories over Les Bleus in the 2024 European Championship and the 2025 Nations League.
France comes into the match after defeating Morocco and with the goal of reaching its third consecutive World Cup final, while Spain seeks to maintain its recent dominance over Les Bleus and confirm the growth of a team that combines a solid collective identity with the game-changing talent of players like Lamine Yamal, Fabián Ruiz, and Mikel Merino, according to the French press.
France Recognizes Spain’s Power
Major French media outlets are expressing respect for the Spanish national team, which they consider to be the toughest opponent France has faced in this World Cup.
After defeating Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals, Spain advanced to the semifinals yesterday thanks, once again, to Mikel Merino’s decisive impact off the bench, the media reports.
The Arsenal midfielder, already a hero against Portugal in the round of 16, once again decided the match in the final minutes after a mistake by Belgium’s backup goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, who had replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois.
For all these reasons, *Le Figaro* considers the match against France to be a “final before the final” and refers to it as “unfinished business” for Didier Deschamps’ team.
The French rematch is already underway
The newspaper notes that Spain eliminated France in both the semifinals of the 2024 European Championship and the 2025 Nations League.
So the Bleus are going into the game looking for revenge.
The newspaper highlights the collective strength of Luis de la Fuente’s team, its continuity from the European champion squad, and Lamine Yamal’s exceptional talent.
He did not hesitate to state that “if France has anyone to fear, it is Spain.”
At the same time, he warns that the speed of Mbappé, Dembélé, Barcola, and Doué will force the Spanish defense to manage the spaces very carefully.
L’Équipe points out that Spain’s qualification was harder-fought than expected.
Although he believes Spain dominated the game and created the best scoring chances, he highlights Belgium’s resilience and notes that the match changed after Courtois’s injury.
France Sees an Opportunity Against Spain
The sports newspaper highlights Fabián Ruiz’s outstanding performance—he scored the first goal—and Lamine Yamal’s growing influence throughout the tournament.
However, he notes that this Spain seems “less dominant than the one in 2024.”
And, therefore, “more accessible” to France, although he admits that this perception could be misleading.
For its part, Le Monde emphasizes the tactical aspect of the match and the coaches’ strategies.
The newspaper explains how the intense heat in Los Angeles affected the course of the game and highlights the importance of the hydration breaks and the substitutions made by both coaches.
France comes into this match after beating Morocco
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The New Spain Aims for Glory
In the case of Spain, he once again praises Luis de la Fuente’s ability to get the most out of the entire roster.
With Merino once again playing the role of the decisive game-changer.
The newspaper also notes that this is only Spain’s second World Cup semifinal appearance since winning the title in 2010.
He suggests that this generation could go even further than the so-called “golden generation” if it manages to lift the trophy (Filed under: France vs. Spain).
With information from EFE
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