France and Spain arrived at Tuesday's World Cup semifinal in Dallas with identical records of zero deficits through the entire tournament. Only one of them can advance to the final.
France entered as FIFA's top-ranked team and have outscored opponents 14-2. Kylian Mbappe has eight goals in the tournament, matching Lionel Messi for the scoring lead. He stands one goal behind Messi's career World Cup record of 21.
Coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappe is physically fine after exiting the quarterfinal win over Morocco in the 77th minute following a goal. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot addressed the team's confidence going into the match.
"We are confident, of course, with the course we have done so far, and we have to be," Rabiot said. "But always with this humility that has characterised us since the beginning of the competition."
Spain's Lamine Yamal turned 19 on Monday, the day before the match. The Barcelona forward has already been part of two semifinal wins over France, including a goal in Spain's 2-1 victory during the 2024 European Championship semifinals. Spain also beat France 5-4 in Nations League play last year. He has one goal from 10 shots on target at this World Cup and has been managing a left hamstring issue.
"I believe if France has to fear anyone, it should be us, in my opinion," Yamal said after Spain's quarterfinal win over Belgium. "We were the ones that knocked them out before."
Yamal also described the match as the biggest of his career.
"It's the most important match I'm going to play," he said, adding that his best birthday gift would be a victory and a trip to the final. "We are all so excited, especially me."
France defender Jules Kounde, who plays club football with Yamal at Barcelona, said he was not offended by the comments.
"He always does it with [Barcelona]. He trusts a lot in his virtues, in the virtues of the team where he plays," Kounde said in translated remarks. "An extra motivation for him."
The match is being played at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. It is the first of two semifinal matches. England face Argentina on Wednesday.
The World Cup schedule is also having consequences for club football. According to Al Jazeera, La Liga has pushed back the opening matches for both Barcelona and Real Madrid because of how many players from each club are involved in the semifinals. Barcelona will now begin their season at Elche on August 23 rather than hosting Athletic Bilbao on August 15. Real Madrid, under manager Jose Mourinho in his second spell at the club, will open away at Espanyol on August 22 instead of hosting Real Sociedad on the original opening weekend.