This is the sixth meeting between Spain and France at a major tournament. France won three of the first four (2-0 in EURO 1984 final, 2-1 in EURO 2000 quarter-final, 3-1 in 2006 World Cup round of 16), while Spain won the most recent game, a 2-0 win in the EURO 2012 quarter-final. The other game was a 1-1 draw during the EURO 1996 group stage.
Meeting in the EURO 2024 semi-final, and having already met in the group stage (1996), round of 16 (2006), quarter-final (2000 and 2012) and final (1984) of major tournaments, Spain vs France will be just the third fixture to be played at each stage of World Cup and EURO tournaments, along with Italy vs Spain and England vs Germany.
Spain are the only team who have won all five matches at EURO 2024. No team in European Championship history has won six matches in a single tournament and no team has ever won six EURO games in a row.
France are looking to reach their fourth EURO final (1984, 2000 and 2016) but only the second not played on French soil (EURO 2000 in the Netherlands). Spain, meanwhile, are looking to reach their fifth final, with only Germany playing in more (6). The Spaniards have progressed from four of five semi-finals, but lost on penalties to eventual winners Italy at this stage at EURO 2020.
Since the start of 2023, Spain have the best win percentage of any European nation, winning 15 of their 19 matches under Luis de la Fuente (79%). They have won their last seven games in a row, last winning more consecutively between June 2009 and June 2010 (12).
There have only been four goals scored in France’s five EURO 2024 matches (three for, one against), with those either penalties (2) or own goals (2). All 128 non-penalty shots have failed to be scored (86 for France, 42 for opponents), while France are the only team on record since 1980 to have more than 50 non-penalty shots at a EURO and fail to find the net with any of them.
Spain have registered lower possession totals than their opponents in two of their five EURO 2024 matches (48% vs Germany, 47% vs Croatia), more times than they’d done so across 44 games at major tournaments between the 2006 and 2022 World Cups (once in the EURO 2008 final vs Germany, 46%).
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan has a save percentage of 94% at EURO 2024, the best of any goalkeeper to have played more than one game. Indeed, it is the best by a goalkeeper at a EURO tournament since Iker Casillas at EURO 2012 with that year’s winners Spain (also 94%).
Lamine Yamal has created 14 chances for his Spain teammates at EURO 2024, the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since Xavi at EURO 2012 (25). He has three assists, with no Spanish player ever registering more at a single European Championship tournament, while his 14 chances created is the most by a teenager at a major tournament Opta has on record (since 1966 for World Cup, 1980 for EURO).
France forward Kylian Mbappé has scored just one goal from 20 shots at EURO 2024. Indeed, at the European Championship overall he has scored just once from 34 attempts (3%), a contrast to his record at the World Cup, where he has scored 12 goals from 39 shots, a 31% shot conversion rate.