The FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals are nearly upon us, and we have two teams confirmed for the last four stage. France and Spain will square off in the first semi-final next week, and the mouth-watering clash between the two European giants has everyone excited. Kylian Mbappe's France have been the standout side in the 48-team competition so far and are clearly the favourites to lift the title. However, Spain cannot be taken lightly as they have quietly been doing the job and flying under the radar.Spain's Lamine Yamal waves as he walks off the pitch. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Ahead of the fixture against France, Spain forward Lamine Yamal fired a warning to France, saying the Les Bleus need to be wary of them, as Spain has the experience of knocking out France from the competition.On Friday, Spain managed to thwart Belgium's challenge in the quarter-final, winning 2-1 to progress to the last four stage. However, the job will get all the more difficult now, considering France is up next.Also Read: Mikel Merino's late winner sends Spain past Belgium 2-1 into first World Cup semifinal since 2010"We're really excited. When the World Cup started, we were all expecting this match. I think we're the two best teams in the tournament," Yamal said after Spain's win over Belgium.“I expect a team that comes at us, but not for the whole match. We'll play the way we know how. I think that if France has to fear anyone, it's us, as we're the ones who have knocked them out before,” he added.For Yamal, reputations also don't matter as he believes the game would boil down to who is better on the day. For fans, another exciting prospect would be the showdown between Mbappe and Yamal.“We have no fear. We have beaten France in the last two games. We're very happy to be in the semis. We've been far superior. All the other teams are behind us. We came here to win, and that's all that matters,” he said.“They should be afraid of us. We've beaten them twice. We're not afraid of them. I think we're the two best teams,” Yamal added.‘Not frustrated’Mikel Merino was once again the hero in the FIFA World Cup 2026 as his winner in the dying minutes of the game gave Spain a 2-1 victory over Belgium in the quarter-final.Yamal might have only one goal to his name in the tournament, but one cannot deny his impact. He has created 17 chances for the La Roja in the last two games and also had nine shots. And it is no surprise to hear that Yamal is not frustrated with the lack of goals."It doesn't frustrate me. I won the Euros, scoring just one goal. As long as we keep advancing, I'll be very happy. The team is what matters," he said.Asked whether he would like another iconic moment against France, Yamal smiled: “Hopefully I can do it again. I really want to,” he added.