The Spanish national team has cemented itself as a true curse for France in major semi-finals. La Roja eliminated Les Bleus with a 2-0 victory in the 2026 World Cup semi-final at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday night. This marks Spain’s third consecutive semi-final triumph over France in just two years, sending Spain to the final scheduled for July 19.
Spain’s Semi-Final Dominance Over France: Three Historic Clashes
The Spanish curse over France unfolded across three consecutive tournaments:
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Euro 2024 Semi-Final (July 9, 2024): Played at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Randal Kolo Muani opened the scoring for France in the 8th minute, but Lamine Yamal equalized with a stunning long-range strike in the 21st minute. Dani Olmo secured the 2-1 win in the 25th minute, propelling Spain to the final where they won the European title against England.
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UEFA Nations League Semi-Final (June 5, 2025): At the MHP Arena in Stuttgart, Spain stormed to a 4-0 lead through Nico Williams, Mikel Merino, Lamine Yamal, and Pedri. Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty in the 59th minute, but Yamal added a fifth. Despite a late French comeback with goals from Rayan Cherki, a Daniel Vivian own goal, and Kolo Muani in stoppage time, Spain held on for a thrilling 5-4 victory.
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2026 World Cup Semi-Final (July 14, 2026): The latest chapter in Dallas, where Spain shut down the French attack to win 2-0 and book their ticket to the grand final.
Breaking France’s Historic Semi-Final Streak
Before this Spanish dominance, France had achieved nine consecutive semi-final victories in official tournaments, according to French statistics network Stats Foot. Spain shattered this historic streak with two successive wins and has now added a third in Dallas.
In contrast, Spain boasts a near-perfect record in semi-finals, having lost only two of the 12 semi-finals they have contested in official tournaments throughout their history (against the USA in the 2009 Confederations Cup and Italy in Euro 2020). La Roja has successfully reached the final in eight of their last ten semi-final appearances across all major tournaments.
Spain’s Second-Ever World Cup Final
Despite their overall tournament dominance, historically, France holds the upper hand in the World Cup. France has reached the semi-finals eight times (1958, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2018, 2022, and 2026).
On the other hand, this is only Spain’s second World Cup semi-final appearance in history. Their first was during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they defeated Germany 1-0 on their way to winning their sole world title.
