Rodri: ‘France are one of the best teams here, in great form, but so are Spain. We can beat them’
France squad
- Full squad
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1 Brice SAMBA Goalkeeper
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2 Malo GUSTO Defender
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3 Lucas Digne Defender
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4 Dayot UPAMECANO Defender
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5 Jules KOUNDE Defender
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6 Manu KONE Midfielder
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7 Ousmane DEMBELE Forward
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8 Aurelien TCHOUAMENI Midfielder
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9 Marcus THURAM Forward
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10 Kylian MBAPPE Forward
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11 Michael OLISE Forward
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12 Bradley BARCOLA Forward
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13 Ngolo KANTE Midfielder
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14 Adrien RABIOT Midfielder
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15 Ibrahima KONATE Defender
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16 Mike MAIGNAN Goalkeeper
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17 William SALIBA Defender
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18 Warren ZAIRE-EMERY Midfielder
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19 Theo HERNANDEZ Defender
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20 Desire DOUE Forward
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21 Lucas HERNANDEZ Defender
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22 Jean-Philippe MATETA Forward
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23 Robin RISSER Goalkeeper
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24 Rayan CHERKI Midfielder
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25 Maghnes AKLIOUCHE Midfielder
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26 Maxence Lacroix Defender
Spain squad
- Full squad
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1 David RAYA Goalkeeper
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2 Marc PUBILL Defender
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3 Alex GRIMALDO Defender
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4 Eric GARCIA Defender
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5 Marcos LLORENTE Defender
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6 Mikel MERINO Midfielder
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7 Ferran TORRES Forward
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8 Fabian RUIZ Midfielder
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9 GAVI Midfielder
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10 Dani OLMO Forward
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11 Yeremy PINO Forward
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12 Pedro PORRO Defender
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13 Joan GARCIA Goalkeeper
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14 Aymeric LAPORTE Defender
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15 Alex BAENA Midfielder
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16 RODRI Midfielder
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17 Nico WILLIAMS Forward
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18 Martin ZUBIMENDI Midfielder
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19 Lamine YAMAL Forward
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20 PEDRI Midfielder
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21 Mikel OYARZABAL Forward
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22 Pau CUBARSI Defender
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23 Unai SIMON Goalkeeper
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24 Marc CUCURELLA Defender
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25 Victor MUNOZ Forward
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26 Borja IGLESIAS Forward
Spain captain Rodri says his side are confident they can beat France in their World Cup semi-final, arguing that while France are among the tournament’s strongest teams, Spain are in equally good form. The interview matters because Rodri is both the team’s captain and a key on-field leader, and his comments offer insight into Spain’s confidence, preparation and sense that they are peaking at the right point in the competition.
Rodri says he has closely followed most of the tournament’s 100 matches and believes the four semi-finalists are the best teams at the World Cup. He points to Spain’s recent record against France, including a 5-4 Nations League semi-final win last summer after leading 5-1 late on, and a 2-1 victory in the Euro 2024 semi-final the year before. The piece also places his remarks in the context of a difficult period personally, with Rodri recovering from a hamstring injury and then a serious knee ligament injury after Euro 2024, making this season a gradual return to full fitness.
In short
- Rodri says Spain believe they can beat France
- He sees Spain and France as two top-form sides
- Recent wins over France boost Spain’s confidence
Explained simply
The World Cup is international football's premier tournament, held every four years, in which the world's national teams compete for the sport's greatest prize. This story concerns the semi-final stage, where only four teams remain; Spain and France have advanced this far and will meet to determine who reaches the championship final.
Spain and France rank among the world's strongest football nations. France has won the World Cup twice in recent decades (1998 and 2018) whilst Spain claimed victory in 2010, and both teams currently possess considerable attacking talent and squad depth.
Rodri is Spain's captain and a central midfielder whose leadership extends both on and off the pitch. Comments from team captains before knockout matches at major tournaments carry particular weight because they reveal how confident a team is and the state of mind they are in as they approach a decisive fixture.