Paris [France], July 14: The France-Spain semi-final provides a sub-plot with Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal on opposing sides. Here's a look at their past encounters. There are plenty of reasons to look forward to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final between France and Spain, not least of which is seeing two of the world's best talents - Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal - on opposing sides. This will be the first time the two have met at the World Cup, but it is far from their first encounter overall. Here is a look at matches in which the Barcelona winger has lined up against the Real Madrid striker.
France v Spain:
Advantage Yamal
The two players have featured against each other in two matches for their national sides, both of which were semi-finals. At EURO 2024, La Roja defeated France 2-1 in Munich, thanks in no small part to a Yamal strike. One year later, they found themselves back in Germany at the UEFA Nations League semi-final in Stuttgart. Spain were once again triumphant over Didier Deschamps' side, this time by the odd goal in a nine-goal thriller, with Yamal netting a brace and Mbappe also getting his name on the scoresheet. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had no shortage of compliments for his young prodigy when he spoke with TVE: "I'm delighted for Lamine. He really sent a message today."
Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona: Advantage Mbappe
The very first time that Mbappe and Yamal played against each other was on 10 April 2024 at the Parc des Princes, during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie between PSG and Barcelona. While neither man found the net that day, it was the Catalans who secured a surprise 3-2 win in the French capital.
The return leg, however, was Mbappe's day, as his tidy double helped the Parisian side to a 4-1 win and a semi-final berth.
Real Madrid v Barcelona:
Advantage Yamal
Since the French captain signed for Real Madrid in June 2024, the two men have lined up on opposing sides six times. During cup knockout ties, Yamal and Barcelona have been utterly dominant over the Merengues, having won two Spanish Supercopa finals in Jeddah: 5-2 in 2025 and 3-2 in 2026. In the Copa del Rey final in 2025, Mbappe was once again on the losing side, with his free-kick goal not being enough to prevent the Catalan side from claiming a 3-2 victory after extra time.
The Frenchman and the Spaniard have also met three times in La Liga matches. After his first El Clasico ended in a 4-0 defeat, Mbappe had an unusual and bittersweet evening when the pair met again in La Liga. Despite scoring a hat-trick, he saw his team fall by a 4-3 scoreline, with Yamal grabbing one of Barcelona's goals on the night.
The most recent clash between Spain's two biggest clubs that featured both the rival stars took place in October 2025. On that occasion, Mbappe again found the net, but this time he also enjoyed his first La Liga victory over Barcelona as Real Madrid won 2-1.
Mbappe v Yamal: A
new chapter awaits
In all, the two talents have faced each other ten times during their career, with Yamal ending up on the winning side during eight of these encounters. However, it is the Frenchman who has been more prolific during these games, with nine goals scored to Yamal's six.
The Spanish winger's six appearances at World Cup 2026 have made him the first player aged 18 or younger to play in more than five games in the competition. However, he has only troubled the scorers once, with his strike in Spain's group stage match against Saudi Arabia.
"Not scoring really doesn't frustrate me," said Yamal following Spain's quarter-final victory over Belgium.
"I won EURO 2024 after scoring once. If I also win the World Cup, I don't think people will care too much about whether I've scored."
Mbappe was 19 years old during Russia 2018, in which he made seven appearances and scored four goals, as well as lifting the trophy and taking home the Hyundai Best Young Player Award.
While the French captain will be looking to close the gap in their head-to-head rivalry, Yamal will be keen to match his rival's achievements by claiming a World Cup title in his debut tournament.
Source: Qatar Tribune
