Spain's Yamal urges unity ahead of World Cup semifinal against France

Spain forward Lamine Yamal said that football should bring people together as his team prepares to face France in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Dallas on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on his 19th birthday, Yamal was asked about remarks by former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who reportedly said France had a strong team but "did not have any French players."

Yamal, whose father is Moroccan and whose mother is from Equatorial Guinea, declined to address the remarks directly and instead stressed football's role in promoting social cohesion.

"Tomorrow we'll play a brilliant match, but if football serves any purpose, it's to bring people together," he said.

"France and Spain are examples of integration. That's what football is all about: integration, not talking about what someone else has said," Yamal added.

The Barcelona forward described Tuesday's semifinal as the most important match of his career and predicted a closely contested encounter.

"It's going to be a great match, a match that everyone was hoping would happen," he said. "Both teams will attack and defend. It's sure to be a very evenly matched game."

Yamal, who has scored once during the tournament, said Spain's progress mattered more than his personal statistics.

"Every tournament is different," he said. "I'm not worried about having scored just one goal in the World Cup so far. We're winning."

He added that he hoped Spain's run to the latter stages of the tournament would give him more opportunities to score than in previous World Cups, when the team was eliminated earlier.

Spain and France will meet Tuesday in Dallas for a place in the World Cup final.