Yamal believes France is not better than Spain and is confident Spain will be the 2026 World Cup champion.
On 2 July 2026, Lamine Yamal, a winger for Spain's national team and Barcelona, expressed his belief that in the 2026 World Cup, the French team—often considered tournament favorites—is not superior to Spain. He believes Spain has the quality to win the World Cup for the second time.
Spain has faced criticism for performing below expectations in the round of 48 but still managed to finish first in their group.
Yamal said in an interview, “There is no team we cannot beat. France isn’t better than us—they haven’t beaten us since Euro 2024. Although some say we could play better, we just need to stay focused, aim for victory, and continue fixing our mistakes. We know we can improve. We have gotten better since the group stage. We play with belief and a desire to win, and the group stage no longer means much to us now.”
Spain will face Austria in the 2026 World Cup round of 32 on 3 July at 02:00 (early morning of 3 July). Spain has a chance to meet France in the semi-finals if both teams win their respective matches to reach that stage.