Spain vs France

A place in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final is on the line as Spain and France lock horns in a mouth-watering semi-final tie at MHPArena in Stuttgart. 

Spain’s pursuit of Nations League glory in the 2021 cycle failed at the final hurdle against none other than France (1-2). Yet, they avenged that defeat by beating the French via an identical scoreline en route to their Euro 2024 success. That semi-final win forms part of the Spaniards’ outstanding 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W15, D3), meaning momentum is firmly on their side heading into this blockbuster fixture. That forms an ideal backdrop for Spain’s bid to become the first nation to defend the Nations League title. La Roja can draw further confidence from going unbeaten in this competition since 2022 (W9, D2). However, a four-game run without a clean sheet in the Nations League threatens to undermine the Iberian giants’ lofty ambitions, even though they squeezed past the Netherlands in the quarter-final in March. 

In the meantime, France overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Croatia to reach the Nations League semi-finals for the first time since conquering the tournament in 2021. It was the last time the French won a piece of silverware despite reaching the World Cup final and Euro semis afterward. Long-serving boss Didier Deschamps will not underestimate the importance of lifting this trophy ahead of his scheduled exit in 2026 as he aims to cement his legacy as one of France’s most successful managers. However, the task is nothing short of Herculean, with Les Bleus alternating between defeats and victories across their last five H2Hs with Spain (W2, L3). With four of those five meetings settled by a narrow one-goal margin, a tight contest could be on the cards.