Spain, France meet in 'final before the final' World Cup semi

Spain and France rightly feel that the winner of their semifinal on Tuesday will go on to claim the World Cup.

England and Argentina, who play in the other semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday, would disagree but as Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente said of their showdown in Arlington, Texas, "It's not an exaggeration to describe this match as a final before the final."

France is the top-ranked team in the FIFA rankings, while Spain is No. 3. With Argentina at No. 2 and England No. 4, this marks the first time the top four teams have reached the semifinals.

Each team can present their case to earn a spot in Sunday's final in East Rutherford, N.J., but Spain have been playing up a psychological advantage over the favored Les Bleus, having defeated them in their last two meetings in semifinals -- the 2025 Nations League (5-4) and the 2024 European Championship (2-1), in which Spain won the title.

"France are one of the best teams here, in great form, but so are we," Spain midfielder Rodri said. "We can beat them. We've seen that at the Euros and in the Nations League."

French midfielder Kylian Mbappe knows that, as the tournament favorite, the pressure is on to become the third nation to reach three consecutive finals.

"I don't know if I'd call it a ‘mission,' but we all know we can only relax if we win it," he said. "We can't let our guard down until then. We still have a lot to prove if we want to be recognized as an ‘invincible team.'"

France won their second World Cup in 2018 before losing on penalties to Argentina four years ago in Qatar. Spain's lone title was in 2010 but they enter on a 36-match unbeaten streak (27 wins, nine draws) -- one shy of tying Italy's record - dating back to a loss to Colombia in March 2024.

"France will probably be our toughest test," Rodri said. "We're highly motivated and determined to win the (title). We have to play to our strengths. France are a great side, but so are we."

The star-studded matchup features Mbappe and Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday.

Mbappe and Lionel Messi of Argentina are tied for the Golden Boot with eight goals each but Mbappe owns the tiebreaker because he has more assists, three to Messi's two. Mbappe's 20 World Cup goals are one behind Messi's all-time record of 21.

With Norway's Erling Haaland (seven goals) out of the tournament, England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham still have a chance with six goals each, while France's Ousmane Dembele has five.

With that much firepower on the French side, it's no surprise that Michael Olise leads the tournament with five assists.

Mikel Oyarzabal tops Spain with four goals and Mikel Merino has been sensational off the bench with late winners in the past two matches.

But the attention will be on Yamal, whose only goal of the tournament came in the group stage against Saudi Arabia on June 21. Still, he was named player of the match in the 2-1 win over Belgium in the quarterfinals for his ball distribution and piercing runs that produced several near-goals.

"If we win the World Cup, I think nobody will remember how many goals I scored or how many I didn't," he said. "If we win, we'll all be happy, that's all I want."

--Field Level Media