2026 World Cup: French Furious at Former Spanish Prime Minister—A Storm Is Brewing

On Tuesday at 9 p.m. Italian time, France will face Spain in the 2026 World Cup semifinal, but unfortunately, the build-up to this big match has been marred by remarks from Mariano Rajoy that have sparked the anger of countless French fans—and others as well.

The former Spanish prime minister, who writes a column in El Debate after every Spanish national team match, called France “a national team without French players,” referring to the many players on the roster with African roots. Rajoy’s remarks were also condemned by current Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

“Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who dishonor it with these kinds of statements,” Sánchez wrote on X. “France, see you in the semifinals. May the best team win, and may racism lose.”

Didier Deschamps’ team dominated Group I with three wins in three matches against Norway, Senegal, and Iraq. In the round of 16, they scored three goals against Sweden, and in the next round, they defeated Paraguay (though not without some difficulty).

In the quarterfinals, Mike Maignan and his teammates faced Morocco, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé.