Spain, with the last two Ballon d'Or winners, Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, at the forefront, will face the surprising semifinalist Brazil in Marseille. The two FC Barcelona stars have led 'La Roja' in this Olympic event and seek to add a new gold medal to their renowned record.

On the other side, the rejuvenated USWNT, under the leadership of their new coach, Emma Hayes, will try to do their part when they face Germany in Lyon. The European powerhouse was the gold medalist in 2016, the only Olympics in which the United States did not win any medals in this discipline since it became an Olympic sport.

The Americans, traditionally the top power in international women's soccer, have seen Spain turn the current landscape around, solidifying themselves as the number one in the FIFA rankings.

The performances at the Games suggest that the USA has returned to being a force after a disappointing World Cup last year, partly driven by the aging and retirement of some stars like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, among others.

Hayes took on the challenge in May, and despite her inexperience, the British manager led the USWNT to top their group with three wins in three matches, defeating Japan in extra time in the quarterfinals.

"We come into the matches with a lot of confidence. We owe that to Emma. She believes in us a lot," said forward Sophia Smith when asked about the impact of their new coach.

Hayes' formula for success includes humility and the idea of being aware of their reality: "I won't feel disappointed by anything this team does because I respect high-level football, and the fact that we've reached the point we're at tactically so quickly is a real credit to the players," the coach commented on the performance of her new squad.

On the other side is the formidable Spain. Participating for the first time in Olympic women's soccer, their triumph in the 2023 World Cup showed that today, they are the strongest team in the international women's scene, making them the favorite for the gold medal.

The European team's journey has been marked by a rollercoaster of emotions. They were nearly eliminated in the quarterfinals by Colombia, which would have been one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament. However, they managed to come back from a 2-0 deficit with a late goal by Irene Paredes in injury time, winning the penalty shootout with Bonmatí as the heroine.

"We don't want to leave here. We want to keep our Olympic dream alive," said the extremely happy and optimistic promising forward Salma Paralluelo before facing Brazil for the second time in a week.

The Brazilians have won two consecutive Olympic silver medals in 2004 and 2008, but their recent performance did not seem to indicate they would go this far in the Paris Games. Arthur Elias' team is immersed in a dream they seek to continue by seeking revenge against Spain.

Both Brazilian and Spanish teams fell into the same group, and in their group stage match, Brazil received a blow, falling 2-0 to Spain thanks to a delicacy from Putellas, in a match heavily influenced by the expulsion of the legendary 38-year-old captain Marta.

Now, with everything at stake, the semifinals are expected to offer a spectacular level between 4 top-10 FIFA-ranked teams. Marseille and Lyon are ready for the ball to roll and to decide which two teams will compete for the gold and who will have to settle for the battle for bronze.