​Even though he’s still just at the start of his career, Lamine Yamal has earned every right to project confidence. The 19-year-old phenom was instrumental in Spain’s fourth-ever European championship in 2024. He followed that up by finishing as the runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting (with 2026 still pending, coming this October).Put another way: The young Spanish superstar is already one of the best players in the world, who also plays for one of the best international teams in the world.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSo, you’d forgive him for believing in what Spain can accomplish against France in the men’s World Cup semifinals on Tuesday. Yamal was asked about Spain’s chances against France, the juggernaut team many believe to be the overall favorite of this World Cup, ahead of the heavyweight matchup.Yamal’s response? Spain is a juggernaut in its own right. They have no reason to “fear” another opponent, no matter how good they are, and he’s absolutely correct:Indeed, Spain and France should be a classic match from start to finish. This feels like a true toss-up, a game between two teams who couldn’t possibly be more evenly matched. We’ll have to see whether Yamal’s projected confidence against France results in him taking Spain to its first World Cup Final since 2010.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis will only be the two countries’ second-ever meeting at the men’s World Cup. The first took place in 2006 during the Round of 16. Zinedine Zidane’s France wound up winning 3-1 over an ascending Spanish team. France would go on to lose the World Cup Final to Italy. That same Spanish squad would win the next two European championships (2008, 2012) while also capturing the country’s first-ever World Cup title in 2010.This article originally appeared on For The Win: Lamine Yamal had a confident 14-word answer about Spain’s chances against France