France–Spain football rivalry
Euro 2012 Quarter-finals game
LocationUEFA
Teams France
 Spain
First meeting  France 0–4  Spain
(Friendly, Bordeaux, 30 April 1922)
Latest meeting  Spain 1–2  France
(2021 UEFA Nations League final, Milan, 10 October 2021)
Next meetingTBD
Statistics
Meetings total36
Most wins Spain (16),  France (13)
Largest victorySpain:
 Spain 8–1  France
(Friendly, Zaragoza, 14 April 1929)
France:
 France 2–0  Spain
(UEFA Euro 1984 final, 27 June 1984
 France 3–1  Spain
(UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying, Paris, 20 February 1991)
 Spain 1–3  France
(2006 FIFA World Cup, Hanover, 27 June 2006)

The France–Spain football rivalry (French: Rivalité footballistique France-Espagne, Spanish: Rivalidad futbolística entre Francia y España) is one of the biggest and most heated association football rivalries in Europe, between France and Spain, two of the most successful national teams in the world as well as neighbors in Europe.[1]

History

Like many European countries, football began to reach France and Spain in the late 19th century, and, just like any neighbors, Spain and France shared similar interests in promoting the sport. This led to the two countries' attempt to establish their football associations and seek friendlies. This led to the two countries playing their first-ever friendly in 1922, where Spain outclassed the host 4–0.[2] However, subsequent turmoils meant that there was very little space for football in Spain and France to develop, with the French showed little interests on football at first even when hosting the 1938 FIFA World Cup and Spain was drowned into a brutal civil war. Eventually, the World War II led to the tensions between two nations, with Spain under pro-Nazi Francisco Franco despite its neutrality, and majority of French who opposed Nazi occupation; Spain was viewed with suspicion by France for sheltering several Nazi collaborators during the German occupation of France.[3][4] After the WWII, Spain and France established official relations, and football rivalry began to redevelop.

Initially, Spain achieved its first success in any major competition, winning the 1964 European Nations' Cup, and the rivalry remained a little one-sided with Spain being dominant until France's conquest of UEFA Euro 1984, which they beat Spain in the final. Subsequently, with the following quick development of football in France, especially the establishment of INF Clairefontaine, football successes started to shift to France, and France proved to be more dominant in international achievements than Spain. The rivalry reached a new height after Spain suffered an agonizing 2–1 defeat to France in the 2021 UEFA Nations League final, which attracted media in both countries due to their successes in football competitions and has since become popular throughout confrontation between the two national teams as part of the multi-dimensional rivalry between two states.[5][6][7][8]

Spain holds an edge by victories, winning 16 games compared to France's 13. However, in comparison to the number of competitive wins, France proves more dominant than Spain, with 6 wins compared to just 2 of Spain.

In the 2020s there were several players with close ties to both countries, including France's Antoine Griezmann, the Hernandez brothers Lucas and Théo (both of Spanish descent) who spent most or all of their careers in Spain, Karim Benzema and Raphaël Varane who had long spells at Real Madrid, the younger Wissam Ben Yedder, Eduardo Camavinga, Ousmane Dembélé, Jules Koundé, Thomas Lemar, Clément Lenglet, Ferland Mendy and Aurélien Tchouaméni who also featured prominently in La Liga,[9] a Spanish contingent at Paris Saint-Germain (comprising internationals Marco Asensio, Juan Bernat, Ander Herrera, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Rico, Fabián Ruiz, Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler over a handful of seasons), and France-born defenders Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand who both opted to become naturalised to play for the Spain national team due to greater opportunities for selection in their position compared with their birth nation.[10]

List of encounters

Official matches

UEFA Euro 1984 Final
France 2–0 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 47,368[11]
UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 1
France 3–1 Spain
Sauzée 14'
Papin 58'
Blanc 76'		 Report Bakero 10'
Attendance: 41,474
Referee: Tullio Lanese (Italy)
Spain 1–2 France
Abelardo 33' Report Fernández 12'
Papin 15'
Attendance: 9,399
UEFA Euro 1996 Group B
France 1–1 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 35,626
Referee: Vadim Zhuk (Belarus)
UEFA Euro 2000 knockout stage
Spain 1–2 France
 Report
Attendance: 26,614
2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
Spain 1–3 France
 Report
Attendance: 43,000
UEFA Euro 2012 knockout phase
Spain 2–0 France
 Report
Attendance: 47,000[12]
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I
Spain 1–1 France
 Report
Attendance: 46,825
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
France 0–1 Spain
Report
Attendance: 78,329
2021 UEFA Nations League final
Spain 1–2 France
 Report
Attendance: 31,511

Total matches

Number Date Country Stadium and location Competition Game Results Home scorers Away scorers
130 April 1922FranceBouscat, BordeauxFriendlyFrance – Spain0–4Paulino Alcántara (2x)
Manuel López Llamosas (2x)
228 January 1923SpainAtotxa Stadium, San SebastiánSpain – France3–0Juan Monjardín (2x)
José Luis Zabala Arrondo
322 May 1927FranceStade de Colombes, ParisFrance – Spain1–4Jean BoyerDomingo Zaldúa (2x)
José María Yermo
Luis Olaso
414 April 1929SpainLa Romareda, ZaragozaSpain – France8–1Paco Bienzobas
Gaspar Rubio (4x, (p))
Mariano Yurrita Llorente
Severiano Goiburu Lopetegui (2x)		Émile Veinante
523 April 1933FranceStade de Colombes, ParisFrance – Spain1–0Jean Nicolas
624 January 1935SpainEstadio Chamartín, MadridSpain – France2–0Luis Regueiro
José Marrero
715 March 1942SpainEstadio de Nervión, NerviónSpain – France4–0Paco Campos (2x)
Edmundo Suárez
Epifanio Fernández
819 June 1949FranceStade de Colombes, ParisFrance – Spain1–5Jean Baratte (p)Estanislau Basora (3x)
Agustín Gaínza (2x, (p))
917 March 1955SpainEstadio Chamartín, MadridSpain – France1–2Agustín GaínzaRaymond Kopa
Jean Vincent
1013 March 1958FranceParc de Princes, ParisFrance – Spain2–2Just Fontaine
Roger Piantoni		László Kubala
Luis Suárez
1117 December 1959France – Spain4–3Lucien Muller
Just Fontaine
Jean Vincent
Roger Marche		Luis Suárez
Eulogio Martínez
Martí Vergés
122 April 1961SpainSantiago Bernabéu Stadium, MadridSpain – France2–0Enric Gensana
Francisco Gento
1310 December 1961FranceStade de Colombes, ParisFrance – Spain1–1François HeutteFélix Ruiz
149 January 1963SpainCamp Nou, BarcelonaSpain – France0–0
1517 October 1968FranceStade de Gerland, LyonFrance – Spain1–3Bernard BlanchetPirri
José Ufarte
Luis Aragonés
1617 March 1971SpainLuis Casanova, ValenciaSpain – France2–2Pirri (2x)Hervé Revelli (2x)
178 November 1978FranceParc de Princes, ParisFrance – Spain1–0Léonard Specht
1818 February 1981SpainSantiago Bernabéu Stadium, MadridSpain – France1–0Juanito (p)
195 October 1983FranceParc de Princes, ParisFrance – Spain1–1Dominique RocheteauJuan Señor (p)
2027 June 1984UEFA Euro 1984 FinalFrance – Spain2–0Michel Platini
Bruno Bellone
2123 March 1988Parc de Lescure, BordeauxFriendlyFrance – Spain2–1Gérald Passi
Luis Fernández		Ramón Calderé
2220 February 1991Parc de Princes, ParisUEFA Euro 1992 qualifyingFrance – Spain3–1Franck Sauzée
Jean-Pierre Papin
Laurent Blanc		José Mari Bakero
2312 October 1991SpainEstadio Benito Villamarín, SevilleSpain – France1–2Abelardo FernándezLuis Fernández
Jean-Pierre Papin
2415 June 1996EnglandElland Road, LeedsUEFA Euro 1996France – Spain1–1Youri DjorkaeffJosé Luis Caminero
2528 January 1998FranceStade de France, Saint-DenisFriendlyFrance – Spain1–0Zinedine Zidane
2625 June 2000BelgiumJan Breydel Stadium, BrugesUEFA Euro 2000Spain – France1–2Gaizka MendietaZinedine Zidane
Youri Djorkaeff
2728 March 2001SpainMestalla Stadium, ValenciaFriendlySpain – France2–1Iván Helguera
Fernando Morientes		David Trezeguet
2827 June 2006GermanyFIFA WM Stadion Hannover, Hanover2006 FIFA World CupSpain – France1–3David VillaFranck Ribéry
Patrick Vieira
Zinedine Zidane
296 February 2008SpainEstadio Carlos Belmonte, AlbaceteFriendlySpain – France1–0Joan Capdevila
303 March 2010FranceStade de France, ParisFrance – Spain0–2David Villa
Sergio Ramos
3123 June 2012UkraineDonbass Arena, DonetskUEFA Euro 2012Spain – France2–0Xabi Alonso (2x, (p))
3216 October 2012SpainVicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid2014 FIFA World Cup qualificationSpain – France1–1Sergio RamosOlivier Giroud
3326 March 2013FranceStade de France, ParisFrance – Spain0–1Pedro
344 September 2014FriendlyFrance – Spain1–0Loïc Rémy
3528 March 2017France – Spain0–2David Silva (p)
Gerard Deulofeu
3610 October 2021ItalySan Siro, Milan2021 UEFA Nations League finalSpain – France1–2Mikel OyarzabalKarim Benzema
Kylian Mbappé

References

  1. ↑ https://www.11v11.com/teams/france/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Spain/
  2. ↑ https://www.11v11.com/matches/france-v-spain-30-april-1922-223245/
  3. ↑ Payne, Stanley G. (1987). The Franco Regime, 1936–1975. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 356. ISBN 978-0-299-11070-3.
  4. ↑ Payne, Stanley G. (2008). Franco and Hitler. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300122824. JSTOR j.ctt5vks5w.
  5. ↑ Okwonga, Musa (2021-10-11). "France's Win Over Spain Was a Prelude to an Epic Rivalry in the Making". The Ringer. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  6. ↑ CANENCIA, ÓSCAR LÓPEZ (2021-10-09). "España y Francia, historia de una rivalildad futbolística". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  7. ↑ "Aux origines de la rivalité France-Espagne". www.micromania.fr. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  8. ↑ "La France domine son rival espagnol lors du Eleven All Stars". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  9. ↑ Six La Liga players in France World Cup squad but Real Madrid star snubbed, Ruairidh Barlow, Football España, 9 November 2022
  10. ↑ French defender Le Normand obtains Spanish nationality, France 24, 24 May 2023
  11. ↑ "European Football Championship 1984 FINAL". euro2000.org. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Full-time report Spain-France" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
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