France vs Spain: A Storied Rivalry Ahead of World Cup 2026 Semifinal

The first World Cup 2026 finalist will be decided tonight at the Dallas Stadium, where France and Spain meet for the 39th time in their history. The numbers favor Spain: 18 wins for La Roja, 13 for Les Bleus, and seven draws. The aggregate score stands at 71–44 in favor of the Spaniards. The rivalry dates back to 1922, when Spain thrashed France 4–0 in a friendly near Bordeaux. Their first competitive clash came in the final of Euro 1984, hosted by France. Michel Platini and Bruno Bellon scored as France claimed their first major international trophy. Platini finished as the tournament's top scorer with nine goals. Spain’s biggest win remains an 8–1 friendly demolition in 1929. France’s largest victories have all been by two-goal margins. The highest-scoring game (nine goals) occurred twice: in that 1929 rout and in last year’s 5–4 thriller in Stuttgart, won by Spain. With partner betking, we revisit the most significant encounters. Euro 2000 quarterfinal in Bruges: Spain led early through a Mendieta penalty, but Zinedine Zidane and Youri Djorkaeff struck before halftime. Raúl missed a late penalty, and France went on to win the tournament. 2006 World Cup round of 16 in Hanover: David Villa opened the scoring, but Franck Ribéry, Patrick Vieira, and Zidane turned it around for France. Les Bleus reached the final, losing to Italy on penalties. Euro 2012 quarterfinal in Donetsk: Xabi Alonso scored twice from set pieces, leading Spain to a 2–0 win. La Roja would go on to successfully defend their European title. Now, these two giants meet again with a place in the World Cup final on the line.