For Spain, the quarter-final win over Belgium was about more than simply getting through. It was a reminder that this team still travels with the kind of depth and continuity that can carry it through a tournament, and now the reward is a semi-final against France in Dallas on Tuesday.
Spain reached the last four with a 2-1 victory, and Luis de la Fuente made it clear the expectations inside the camp are not modest. He said Spain and France are both candidates for the final, and added that his side has very high expectations for the next game. That is not the language of a team hoping to survive; it is the language of a team that believes it belongs at the top end of the bracket.
Spain’s case is built on more than one performance
The quarter-final offered another example of why Spain have stayed in the conversation. Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino and Pedri continue to give the team structure and variety, while Lamine Yamal has added another layer of threat. De la Fuente’s point was that the strength runs deeper than the headline names. As he put it, everybody on the pitch has a task and they do it very well.
That matters because knockout football tends to punish teams that rely too heavily on a single route to goal. Spain do not look that limited. They look like a side that can survive different kinds of matches, whether that means controlling possession, keeping their shape, or finding a late winner when the game tightens.
There is also a useful statistical signpost here. Rodri completed 98 of his 104 pass attempts, which is exactly the kind of control Spain want from the centre of the pitch. It does not guarantee victory on its own, but it helps explain why Spain can keep the game on their terms for long stretches.
France will bring a different kind of pressure
The challenge now is a familiar one. At Euro 2024, Spain beat France 2-1 at the same semi-final stage, and this time the setting is different but the stakes are just as clear. France arrive as the team in form for a third consecutive World Cup, which is why this matchup already feels like one of the defining games of the tournament.
De la Fuente said the game is very open and will require fresh, energetic players, Spain at their best and, as he framed it, the best version of the team. That is probably the right read. France will not make the match easy, and Spain know that the margin for error in a semi-final is tiny.
Belgium’s Rudi Garcia offered his own assessment of Spain after the defeat, saying their squad does not just come down to a couple of players and that it is practically the same as their team at the Euros. That is a useful compliment, but also a warning for Spain’s next opponent: this is a team built to function as a whole, not just through individual moments.
Spain have already shown they can win tight matches, and they have already beaten France in a semi-final before. The question now is whether that blend of continuity, control and belief can carry them one step further. Tuesday in Dallas will tell us a lot.
