Didier Deschamps stepped into the pre-match press conference in Arlington, Texas, on Monday and delivered a double-edged message: Kylian Mbappé is fully fit to lead France against Spain, and the Spanish are the favourites to reach the World Cup final. The France manager’s gambit, viewed from Paris, was a classic piece of psychological positioning, designed to unburden his own squad of the weight of expectation that accompanies the world’s top-ranked side.

The fitness bulletin on Mbappé had dominated headlines across South Asian and Latin American media after the forward was substituted late in the quarter-final victory over Morocco with a minor ankle injury and later seen icing the joint on the bench. Deschamps moved to extinguish any doubt, stating bluntly that his captain is “at 100 per cent”. The 27-year-old, who has scored eight goals and provided three assists in six matches – the highest direct goal involvement at a single tournament since Gerd Müller in 1970 – participated in training on Monday, though his workload was managed, completing ten-minute drills instead of the full fifteen.

Deschamps then turned his attention to the opposition, anointing Spain as the clear favourites. “I can confirm Spain are the favourites,” he said, a line that resonated across Spanish-language newsrooms as a transparent attempt to shift the psychological burden. He praised La Roja’s defensive record – just one goal conceded in the entire tournament – while noting that his own side has been the most prolific, with 16 goals. The fixture carries the weight of recent history: Spain eliminated France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals and again in the 2025 Nations League, though Deschamps dismissed talk of revenge, insisting the context of a World Cup semi-final, falling on Bastille Day, was motivation enough.

The winner in Texas will face either Argentina or England in Sunday’s final. For France, a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup showpiece – a feat not achieved since Brazil between 1994 and 2002 – is within reach. The stage is set for a contest that, as Deschamps predicted, promises to be spectacular, pitting the tournament’s most potent attack against its most miserly defence.