The tournament favourites take on the European champions as France and Spain meet in the World Cup semi-finals.
Both teams have been tipped to go all the way in North America, but only one will get a chance to see this through, as they clash on Tuesday night with a place in the final at stake.
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It’s a rematch of their last-four encounter at Euro 2024, which saw Lamine Yamal shine as La Rioja emerged victorious on the night, before going on to win the entire competition.
Now, two years on, Les Bleus are bidding to get revenge on their European rivals, and you wouldn’t bet against them doing so.
Didier Deschamps’ side have been in formidable form this summer, who cruised through to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Morocco.
France haven’t been short of goals, with Kylian Mbappe co-leading the World Cup goalscoring charts on eight, while Ousmane Dembele has chipped in with five of his own.
But Spain have match-winners too, overcoming Belgium in the semi-finals and Portugal in the quarters thanks to Mikel Merino’s heroics.
So, as the two sides prepare to do battle on the biggest of stages, we’ve taken a look at how they’ve fared in their past meetings.
France vs Spain: Head-to-head record
France and Spain have enjoyed their fair share of battles over the years, meeting on 38 occasions altogether.
And La Roja will take confidence from their past victories, as they edge the head-to-head record with 18 wins.
Meanwhile, Les Bleus have triumphed 13 times between the two, while seven matches have ended in a draw.
Again, recent history is on Spain’s side, who won the last encounter between the pair in the Nations League semi-finals in 2025.
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Luis de la Fuente’s side defeated France 5-4 in a thriller, with Yamal netting twice to clinch victory, while Mbappe struck for France.
Prior to that, there was more Spanish joy in 2024, when they clinched a 2-1 victory in the European Championship semi-finals, as Yamal first made his mark against the French, while Dani Olmo also netted.
But while all statistics seem to point in Spain’s favour, a closer look will tell you that France boast the upper hand in major tournaments.
The two sides have met on six occasions across the World Cup and European Championship, with France winning three of these.
Spain, on the other hand, boast two victories, both coming on the European stage, while one match has ended in a draw.
In a further boost to Les Bleus, they came out on top in the only previous World Cup encounter between the pair.
It dates back to the 2006 edition, where France beat Spain 3-1 in a last-16 contest thanks to goals from Franck Ribery, Patrick Vieira and the iconic Zinedine Zidane.
France v Spain: Head-to-head record
Total meetings: 38
France wins: 13
Spain wins: 18
Draws: 7
Last time they met: Spain 5-4 France (Nations League semi-final, June 2025)
Last time France beat Spain: France 2-1 Spain (Nations League final, October 2021)
How to follow France vs Spain
This World Cup semi-final will take place on Tuesday, July 14.
Kick-off at the Dallas Stadium in Texas is set for 8pm UK time.
The match is free to watch on ITV 1 from 7pm and will be streamed live on ITV X.
eSPORTY also has live coverage of the game, with Natalie Sawyer hosting the action.
On commentary, Joe Shennan and former Scotland assistant Mark McGhee will be there to talk you through it all.
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