France Coach Deschamps Prefers Spain Ahead of World Cup 2026 Semifinal, Ambitious on Mbappe's Fitness

On Tuesday night at 22:00 in Dallas, the 2026 World Cup semifinal will feature a high-stakes clash between France and Spain. Spain, the European champions known for their strong defense, face France, the World Cup runners-up with a cohesive team and impressive tournament performance. However, the French camp is tense ahead of kickoff due to injury concerns, press conference nerves, and a political controversy originating from Madrid.

All eyes are on France's captain Kylian Mbappe, who is competing fiercely with Lionel Messi and Harry Kane for the tournament's top scorer title, having scored eight goals in six matches. Mbappe is nursing a right ankle injury sustained from a harsh tackle by Issa Diop in France's 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco. During Monday's final training session, Mbappe trained separately, running lightly and showing visible pain after shooting at goal.

French coach Didier Deschamps addressed the media with a firm stance, stating, "Kylian is perfectly fine. He cannot be at more than 100%, so yes, he is at 100%. You really judge based on what happened this afternoon? He is allowed, like others, to play 10 minutes instead of 20 as part of load management." Despite concerns, France believes this is a precaution and expects Mbappe to start.

Deschamps also acknowledged Spain as the favorite, praising their tournament performance and defensive solidity, having conceded only one goal in seven matches. He shifted the pressure onto Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente, emphasizing the quality of both teams' attacks and defenses and anticipating an exceptional and thrilling match.

Regarding team selection, Deschamps is ready to make changes despite recent success. Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni is expected to return to the starting lineup alongside Adrien Rabiot, which may see Manu Koné, a standout in the quarterfinal, move to the bench. Mike Maignan will continue as goalkeeper behind a defensive line of Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, and Lucas Digne. In attack, alongside Mbappe and Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise is set to start, with a final decision pending between Bradley Barcola and young Desire Doué on the left wing.