France and Spain are set for a blockbuster showdown in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite acknowledging the quality of La Furia Roja, Les Bleus defender Ibrahima Konaté insisted that France has no fear ahead of the match at AT&T Stadium, United States, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (WIB).
“You must not be afraid of anyone. Now we’re going to prepare ourselves as well as possible and hope the final result will be in our favor,” Konaté said, as quoted by Diario AS via ANTARA on July 13, 2026.
His remarks came in response to comments made earlier by Spain’s young star Lamine Yamal, who said his team had no reason to fear France.
“We’ve beaten France in our last two meetings. If France should fear any team, it should be us. We’ll see what happens, but we’re not afraid,” Yamal said.
France vs Spain: Les Bleus Respect the Strength of La Furia Roja
Spain heads into the semifinal in outstanding form. Luis de la Fuente’s side is unbeaten in 36 consecutive matches, has conceded just one goal in six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and has won its last two encounters against France.
Even so, Konaté believes Spain’s threat extends far beyond Yamal alone, meaning France will not focus exclusively on stopping one player.
“Spain is an exceptional team with many high-quality individuals, so we won’t focus on just one player, even though Lamine (Yamal) is a fantastic player,” said the defender, who recently joined Real Madrid.
Another France defender, Maxence Lacroix, also emphasized that while the team respects Spain’s quality, it remains confident of securing victory.
“I wouldn’t say we’re ‘afraid,’ but we’re fully aware of their quality. They’ve won every match except for a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. We respect them because they have top-class players, but we want to win,” Lacroix said.
If France defeats Spain, Les Bleus will reach the World Cup final for the third consecutive edition, having won the title in 2018 and finished as runners-up in 2022.
The winner of this semifinal will face the victor of the other semifinal between England and Argentina.***
