World Cup 2026 (semi-final): France vs Spain head-to-head history

14.07.26 FT World Cup

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Spain

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France and Spain face off this Tuesday, July 11 at 7pm GMT for a spot in the World Cup final. Let’s take a look back at the history between these two continental powerhouses.

This will be the 39th meeting between the two national teams. Spain holds the historical advantage with 18 wins to France’s 13, while 7 matches have ended in a draw. La Roja have scored 71 goals compared to 44 for Les Bleus.

There has only been one previous World Cup clash: the 2006 Round of 16, where France triumphed 3-1 in Hannover.

Spain have won the last two semi-final encounters: 2-1 at Euro 2024 and 5-4 in the Nations League semi-final in 2025.

France vs Spain head-to-head

April 30, 1922 in Bordeaux - Friendly: France – Spain (0-4)

January 28, 1923 in San Sebastián - Friendly: Spain – France (3-0)

May 22, 1927 in Colombes - Friendly: France – Spain (1-4)

April 14, 1929 in Zaragoza - Friendly: Spain – France (8-1)

April 23, 1933 in Paris - Friendly: France – Spain (1-0)

January 27, 1935 in Madrid - Friendly: Spain – France (2-0)

March 15, 1942 in Seville - Friendly: Spain – France (4-0)

June 19, 1949 in Colombes - Friendly: France – Spain (1-5)

March 17, 1955 in Madrid - Friendly: Spain – France (1-2)

March 13, 1958 in Paris - Friendly: France – Spain (2-2)

December 17, 1959 in Paris - Friendly: France – Spain (4-3)

April 2, 1961 in Madrid - Friendly: Spain – France (2-0)

December 10, 1961 in Colombes - Friendly: France – Spain (1-1)

January 9, 1963 in Barcelona - Friendly: Spain – France (0-0)

October 17, 1968 in Lyon - Friendly: France – Spain (1-3)

March 17, 1971 in Valencia - Friendly: Spain – France (2-2)

November 8, 1978 in Paris - Friendly: France – Spain (1-0)

February 18, 1981 in Madrid - Friendly: Spain – France (1-0)

October 5, 1983 in Paris - Friendly: France – Spain (1-1)

June 27, 1984 in Paris - Euro 1984 (Final): France – Spain (2-0)

March 23, 1988 in Bordeaux - Friendly: France – Spain (2-1)

February 20, 1991 in Paris - Euro 1992 Qualifier: France – Spain (3-1)

October 12, 1991 in Seville - Euro 1992 Qualifier: Spain – France (1-2)

June 15, 1996 in Leeds - Euro 1996 (Group stage): Spain – France (1-1)

January 28, 1998 in Saint-Denis - Friendly: France – Spain (1-0)

June 25, 2000 in Bruges - Euro 2000 (Quarterfinal): France – Spain (2-1)

March 28, 2001 in Valencia - Friendly: Spain – France (2-1)

June 27, 2006 in Hannover - World Cup 2006 (Round of 16): Spain – France (1-3)

February 6, 2008 in Malaga - Friendly: Spain – France (1-0)

March 3, 2010 in Saint-Denis - Friendly: France – Spain (0-2)

June 23, 2012 in Donetsk - Euro 2012 (Quarterfinal): Spain – France (2-0)

October 16, 2012 in Madrid - 2014 World Cup Qualifier: Spain – France (1-1)

March 26, 2013 in Saint-Denis - 2014 World Cup Qualifier: France – Spain (0-1)

September 4, 2014 in Saint-Denis - Friendly: France – Spain (1-0)

March 28, 2017 in Saint-Denis - Friendly: France – Spain (0-2)

October 10, 2021 in Milan - Nations League 2020-2021 (Final): Spain – France (1-2)

July 9, 2024 in Munich - Euro 2024 (Semi-final): Spain – France (2-1)

June 5, 2025 in Stuttgart - Nations League 2024-2025 (Semi-final): Spain – France (5-4)

France’s journey at the 2026 World Cup

France remains unbeaten in the tournament. Even better, Les Bleus have won all six of their matches, scoring 16 goals and conceding only 2.

On the opening day of the group stage, they defeated Senegal (3-1), before beating Iraq (3-0) and Norway (4-1).

In the round of 32, they overcame another Scandinavian side, Sweden, with a 3-0 win, then edged Paraguay in the round of 16 by the narrowest of margins, and finally dispatched Morocco in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory.

Spain’s journey at the 2026 World Cup

La Roja are also unbeaten at the World Cup, boasting five wins and one draw.

After being held by Cape Verde (1-1) on opening day, Spain went on to defeat Saudi Arabia (4-0) and Uruguay (1-0) in the group stage.

Continuing their strong run, they overcame Austria in the round of 32 (3-0), then Portugal in the round of 16 (1-0), and finally Belgium in the quarterfinals (2-1).

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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