Who: Spain vs France
What: UEFA Nations League semifinal
Where: Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany
When: Thursday, June 5, 2025 – 9pm kickoff (1900 GMT)
How to follow our coverage: We’ll have all the build-up from 6pm (16:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport.
Defending champions Spain face France, the team that beat them in the 2021 final, in the second semifinal of the 2025 UEFA Nations League.
Hosts Germany or inaugural winners Portugal, who play on Wednesday, await in Sunday’s final.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game, which will provide the second finalist for a tournament that has replaced the ever-devaluing international friendly setup on the continent.
Who did Spain and France beat in the Nations quarterfinals?
Spain beat the Netherlands 5-4 on penalties after their quarterfinal finished 5-5 on aggregate over the two legs.
France also needed penalties to progress from their last-eight tie against Croatia after a 2-2 draw on aggregate. The Croatians had won the first leg 2-0 on home soil.
Both nations topped their League A groups.
What happened the last time Spain played France?
The sides played out a dramatic Euro 2024 semifinal, won by Spain 2-1.
Trailing after Randal Kolo Muani headed in a Kylian Mbappe cross in the ninth minute, Spain turned the match around in a rapid four-minute flurry, scoring twice against a side that had only conceded one goal in five previous games in the tournament.
The match is best remembered for 16-year-old Spain sensation Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest-ever goal scorer at a European championship when he unleashed a mesmerising strike from outside the box in the 21st minute to find the equaliser.
Spain then took the lead for good on 25 minutes when Dani Olmo expertly gathered a loose ball and fired a low shot into the net with the aid of a deflection off Jules Kounde.
Who did Spain beat in the 2023 Nations final?
Spain – who were defeated finalists in the 2021 edition of the tournament, which is staged over a two-year period – beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in June 2023.
In the 2021 final, the Spaniards were beaten 2-1 by France, who they face in Thursday’s second semifinal. Their victory in 2023 ended an 11-year search for silverware.
Is this the start of Spain’s resurgence?
Spain are aiming to become the first side to defend the Nations League trophy, with Luis de la Fuente’s side going from strength to strength on the international stage before next year’s World Cup.
Their 2023 victory proved the springboard to Euro 2024 glory. Retaining the Nations League would bode well before the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer, where Spain will be among the favourites.
After European Championship wins in 2008 and 2012, sandwiching their World Cup 2010 triumph in South Africa, the Spanish national team slumped.
Poor outings at the Russia and Qatar World Cups started to fade from memory, though, as De la Fuente’s side beat Italy and Croatia to win the 2023 Nations League.
Spain then beat Italy, Germany and France on the way to the Euro 2024 final, where they got the better of England to claim their first major trophy for 12 years.
The side is very much led by Barcelona’s teenage winger Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 on the eve of the Euro final, and on the opposite flank, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, 22, also has his best years ahead of him.
Spain team news
Out: Rodri, Carvajal, Laporte, Ayoze Perez, Ferran Torres
Manchester City’s Rodri, who has yet to return to action after missing most of the season injured, remains Spain’s major headache.
They are blessed with depth, however, most especially in midfield, where former Real Madrid playmaker Isco could be given additional playing time, having helped Real Betis to the UEFA Conference League final this season.
France team news
Out: Camavinga, Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano
France are without a quartet of defenders who ply their trade in Europe’s top leagues, with Real Madrid’s Eduard Camavinga, Barcelona’s Jules Kounde, Arsenal’s William Saliba and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano all sitting out the game.
The French also had nine international players feature in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory against Inter Milan on Saturday.
Possible lineups:
Spain: Unai Simon; Mingueza, Cubarsi, Huijsen, Cucurella; Pedri, Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Williams; Morata
France: Maignan; Gusto, Konate, Lucas Hernandez, Digne; Tchouameni, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Mbappe, Kolo Muani
Form guide: Last five matches
Spain: D-D-W-W-W (Most recent match first)
France: W-L-W-D-W
Head-to-head
The nations have met on 15 occasions, with Spain emerging victorious seven times, including their Euro 2024 win, while France have won six of the encounters.
What the managers said before the semifinal?
Luis de la Fuente, Spain coach: “We have in this tournament the three previous winners of the Nations League, three previous World Cup winners and a previous Euro winner. So you certainly can’t call it a minor tournament, and we place huge importance upon it.
“I’ve always said since I arrived that this tournament is actually more difficult than the Euro in the group stage. We’ll give it everything, and we want to make history by becoming the first team to win the Nations League twice. We will keep competing at the highest level against these teams that could easily be in a World Cup final or another major final tomorrow.”
Didier Deschamps, France coach: “This Spain team have already shown their quality, and they are the best side in Europe and probably the best in the world. They also may have a few players who are fresher. But still, my team always have the ability to maintain a strong collective and technical rhythm.
“I haven’t yet seen a team that has truly found a solution to stop Yamal. Add in the likes of Nico Williams and it’s clear Spain have a lot of pace. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be approaching this match waving the white flag.”
Where will the UEFA Nations League final be staged?
The Allianz Arena in Munich, which was also picked for the first semifinal, will stage the final on Sunday.
Does Nations League success bring World Cup qualification?
The teams that finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying groups in Europe will automatically progress to the FIFA World Cup.
The four highest-placed teams from the Nations League that did not finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying groups are then given an extra shot at reaching the global game’s showpiece event.
It is an added incentive to all teams as a backup plan should their official World Cup qualifying campaign fall flat.
