“France is one of the clearest favorites for a World Cup that I have ever seen.” Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright is not the only one who believes Didier Deschamps' men are the team to beat, with experts, fans and bookmakers all assuming France will win the title. And who could blame them?

Six games played, six won. 16 goals for, two against. And only in two matches of the tournament did they not score three or more goals.

With Kylian Mbappé scoring goals at will, and players like Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola forming a fearsome trio right behind, they would strike fear into every defense in the world.

Not to mention having actors of the quality of Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki in reserve. Awesome.

With France confirmed as the first semi-finalists after defeating Morocco 2-0, BBC Sport journalists gave their opinion on whether anyone can beat the 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up.

“France does give teams opportunities”

Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter.

Spain is the team to beat and is my favorite, even more than France. It has changed my mind after seeing both teams.

Spain has greater control, limits its rivals defensively, allowing few chances to them and has not yet conceded a goal.

I watched all the group stage matches that France participated in, they don't have the same level of control as Spain and they do give teams opportunities.

Senegal should have been leading at the break, and even a Norway depleted by casualties created uncomfortable moments in the first half in Boston.

Spain should be lurking in the semi-finals, which would repeat the Euro 2024 semi-final that Spain won 2-1.

“The teams will believe that France can be defeated”

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's chief football writer

France has shown itself to be the most impressive team in the World Cup so far, with the display of offensive talent led by Mbappé, Olise and Dembélé.

However, they are a beatable opponent and will face Spain, European champions and regulars in the competition, if La Roja beats Belgium in the quarter-finals.

As good as France is, this would be a litmus test for Deschamps' team.

Spain are on an impressive 35-match unbeaten run in all competitions and simply know how to get results, as they demonstrated with their injury-time winner against Portugal in the round of 16.

And, if France manages to beat Spain, they could face Argentina or England, current world champions, in the final.

France is the favorite to win the World Cup, but these teams certainly believe they can beat them, and let's not forget that this tournament has already shown that there are no predictable results.

“Spain has all the possibilities”

Elizabeth Conway, BBC Sport journalist

Spain has a good chance of beating France (as long as it beats Belgium in the quarterfinals), although it has gone somewhat unnoticed in this World Cup.

This is largely because their biggest star, Lamine Yamal, has yet to reach the level of other top attackers in the tournament as he continues his recovery from injury.

While other teams have relied on flashes of individual brilliance, Spain has quietly impressed thanks to its disciplined and well-structured system.

In their draw against Cape Verde and in the four subsequent victories, they have not conceded a goal, thanks in large part to the impressive centre-back pairing of youngster Pau Cubarsí and veteran Aymeric Laporte.

Spain's game, based on the width of the field, creates space for Lamine Yamal and allows him to generate scoring opportunities, while Rodri and Pedri dominate the midfield, controlling possession and setting the pace of the match.

Spain has also beaten France in its last two meetings. If Spain takes advantage of its scoring opportunities, it can defeat France.

“The most promising teams can fall short”

John Murray, lead commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live.

France have been by far the most exciting team for spectators and have played the most attractive football.

But, over the years, several of those teams have not achieved success at the World Cups. Brazil of 1982 is probably the best example, but one could also mention the explosive Danish team of 1986, Jürgen Klinsmann's Germany in 2006 or the Brazilian team that hosted in 2014.

And if they were to face Spain in the semi-finals, I could certainly imagine a scenario in which the reigning European champions emerged victorious.

“The fear is that France will have several more marches”

Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist

It's going to take something truly special to stop this Les Bleus juggernaut from reaching its third consecutive World Cup final.

France has overcome a two-hour interruption due to a storm in Philadelphia, Deschamps' absence from a match (he returned home for his mother's funeral), Paraguay's "dark arts" to reach the quarterfinals and the emerging Moroccan team to reach the semifinals.

It has been a real pleasure to watch them play, especially against Sweden in the round of 32, where they got 25 shots. The fear of their rivals is that they still have a couple more gears that we have not seen in this World Cup.

It's not just about Mbappé, Olise and Dembélé. Les Bleus have not yet been behind on the scoreboard throughout the tournament.

They have only conceded two goals in five games: when they beat Senegal 3-0 and when they were winning 2-0 against Norway, with William Saliba of Arsenal and Dayot Upamecano, Olise's teammate at Bayern Munich, leading the defense.

Who can stop France? They will face Spain or Belgium in the semifinals. Spain, which has not yet conceded a goal, could be a litmus test.

Les Bleus were thwarted by Paraguay before finding a way to win, but I suspect Deschamps' team will have too much offensive firepower for Spain, while their bench depth is impressive.

“The English lions can stop Les Bleus”

Alex Howell, BBC Sport reporter for England

France has looked like the tournament favorite since the beginning of this World Cup.

They have an excellent team, but it is not perfect.

In the end, it will be a World Cup final between France and England, and the Three Lions will be the team that manages to stop Les Bleus.

The English midfield, made up of Declan Rice, Elliot Andersen and Jude Bellingham, has the ability to physically impose itself on the French midfield.

Thomas Tuchel's team have also shown they have the necessary adaptability to deal with difficult situations, following their impressive 3-2 victory over Mexico in Mexico City.

To beat France, England will have to put in a strong performance, and if they do, they will have achieved the greatest success in the history of the sport.

Could it be that France's greatest strength is actually a flaw?

John Bennett, BBC World Service

It is a desperate attempt to find France's weak points, because sometimes one is left speechless in amazement when their four forwards are in top form.

But could their greatest strength also become a weakness when they face another favorite?

Olise's move to the playmaker position has made France much more dangerous.

However, against an elite team, could they find themselves outclassed in midfield in off-ball situations when they have such an attacking player playing in front of two midfielders?

Does Olise drop back enough or will he be willing to apply the necessary constant pressure in midfield when France faces a team that doesn't allow them to dominate possession?

In a possible semi-final against Spain, a ball-loving Spanish team would certainly put that to the test.

This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. Learn more about how we use AI.