Lamine Yamal has dismissed suggestions that France should be regarded as favourites ahead of their World Cup knockout meeting with Spain, insisting his side are more than capable of going all the way. The teenage forward pointed to Spain’s victory over France in the European Championship semi-final as proof that the two teams are evenly matched, despite Les Bleus’ strong run in the tournament so far.
Yamal spoke with complete confidence ahead of Spain’s knockout campaign, brushing aside the notion that France are a step above his side. The teenage winger pointed to Spain’s recent success against Didier Deschamps’ team and said his only objective is to help his country win the World Cup.
“There’s no team that’s impossible to beat. France is not better than us; they haven’t beaten us since the European Championship. There’s no favorite. No one is ahead of us… When a competition arrives, I think I’m going to win. It’s what I have in mind now. I think I’m going to win the World Cup,” Yamal told El Partidazo de COPE, as quoted by The Score.
Spain opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde before bouncing back in style with a convincing 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. They wrapped up the group stage with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Uruguay to secure their place in the knockout rounds. Lamine Yamal, who was managing a fitness issue at the start of the tournament, began the opening match on the bench before making a late appearance as a substitute. Since then, he has returned to full fitness and will be expected to play a key role as Spain prepare to face Austria in the Round of 32 at Los Angeles Stadium on July 3.
“Group stage is meaningless”: Yamal
Yamal also played down France’s impressive group-stage campaign, insisting those performances will have little bearing once the knockout rounds begin.
“The group stage is meaningless. I don’t think there’s a favourite,” he said in an interview with El Partidazo de COPE, as quoted by The Score.
The teenage star also revealed his calm approach off the pitch, saying it takes something truly personal to make him emotional.
“I never get excited, I don’t cry. I cried when I got injured, when I saw my mother cry. If I win the World Cup I’m not going to cry, it’s impossible,” he added.
