The big matches in World Cup take place this week: France and Spain are the first countries to dispute the semi-finals (Tuesday, July 14, 21:00 CEST, 20:00 BST): France aims for an incredible third final in a row; Spain aims to reach their second final ever, and win their second star after 2010.
In theory, some expect France to be favourite for having goal-scoring stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise, but Spain has been the best defensive team, receiving only one goal thus far (and with France coach Didier Deschamps saying Spain is favourite). What is sure is that this will be an incredible match... with many believing that, whoever wins tonight, will be the big favourite for a final against England or Argentina.
Incredibly, there is only one precedent of a Spain vs. France match at World Cup. It was round of 16 in 2006: France came from behind to win 3-1, with goals by Ribéry, Vieira, and Zidane; France ended up losing the final to Italy.
Most recently, Spain has beaten France twice: at the 2025 Nations League semi-final, 5-4, and at the UEFA Euro semi-finals, 2-1. However, France beat Spain 2-1 at the Nations League 2021 final, the first edition of the tournament.
Way before that, the most memorable match was the UEFA Euro 1984 final, where Platini and Bellone scored and France won 2-0. In official matches (at FIFA or UEFA competitions), Spain did not manage to beat France until the UEFA Euro quarter-finals in 2012, 2-0. Their last friendly, in 2017, was also a victory for Spain.
In total, both nations have faced each other 38 times since 1922, counting friendlies, with Spain winning 18, France 13, and 7 draws. Who will win tonight and reach World Cup final?