Spain and France rightly feel that the winner of their semi-final will go on to claim the World Cup.England and Argentina, who play in the other semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday (Thursday 3am, Hong Kong time), 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 are the top-ranked team in the Fifa rankings, while Spain are No 3. With Argentina at No 2 and England No 4, this marks the first time the top four teams have reached the semi-finals.Each team can present their case to earn a spot in Sunday’s final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but Spain have been playing up a psychological advantage over the favoured Les Bleus, having defeated them in their past two meetings in semi-finals: the 2025 Nations League (5-4) and the 2024 European Championships (2-1).“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.”Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring Spain’s first goal in their 2-1 semi-final win at Euro 2024. Photo: APFrench midfielder Kylian Mbappe knows that, as the tournament favourite, the pressure is on to become the third nation to reach three consecutive finals.
All eyes on Mbappe, Yamal as Spain, France meet in ‘final before the final’
France, Fifa’s No 1 team, face No 3-ranked team in first semi-final, but Spain may have upper hand, having won their past two meetings.
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