‘No one is ahead of us’ - Yamal dismisses France as favourites, claims he will win World Cup for Spain

As the tournament moves into the high-stakes knockout rounds, the 18-year-old winger expressed supreme confidence in Spain's ability to claim their second world title.

The winger dismissed any suggestions that other nations are superior to Luis de la Fuente's squad.

Spain's quest continues against Austria in the Round of 32. Should they advance, a potential semi-final clash with France, who defeated Sweden to reach the round of 16.

While many have tipped France, the 2018 champions, as the team to beat following a flawless group stage, Yamal remains unfazed. 

He pointed to Spain's victory over Les Bleus during their triumphant Euro 2024 run as proof that Didier Deschamps' side is not invincible.

In an interview with COPE's Tiempo de Juego, Yamal directly addressed the hype surrounding Kylian Mbappé and his teammates. 

"There's no team that's impossible to beat," he stated. "France is not better than us; they haven't beaten us since the European Championship. There's no favourite. No one is ahead of us."

He continued with a powerful personal conviction: "When a competition arrives, I think I'm going to win. It's what I have in mind now. I think I'm going to win the World Cup."

Acknowledging the critiques of Spain's early performances, Yamal emphasised that the true competition starts now. 

He argued that securing results is the priority, but he is confident the team's performance level will rise with the increasing pressure of the knockout rounds.

"People are saying we can play better, but we're focused on staying calm, winning first, and then we'll improve," Yamal explained. 

"We can improve, we are much better than the level we are showing, but I want to win... The group stage doesn't mean anything now."