Wikipedia

France–Germany football rivalry

The football rivalry between France and Germany is one of the biggest and most heated association football rivalries in Europe. The teams are among the most successful national teams in the world. Previously, it was mostly a one-sided phenomenon since most German fans considered the Netherlands or Italy to be their traditional footballing rivals until the rise of France from the 1990s onward, but the rivalry really began during the UEFA European Championship in the 2010s decade after a series of mere friendlies in the 1990s to 2000s.[citation needed]

France–Germany football rivalry
LocationEurope
Teams France
 Germany
First meeting15 March 1931
Friendly
France 1–0 Germany
Latest meeting8 June 2025
UEFA Nations League finals
Germany 0–2 France
Statistics
Total meetings35
Most winsFrance (16)
Top scorerAntoine Griezmann (5 goals)
All-time series
France: 16
Draw: 8
Germany: 11
Largest victory
West Germany 5–1 France
Friendly
27 September 1967
France–Germany football rivalry is located in Europe
France
France
Germany
Germany

Background

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The root of France–Germany rivalry could have dated back from the old tensions between France and German Empire after the capture of Paris by Prussian Army in 1870.[1] Since the end of the war, enmity between France and Germany increased, resulted with military arm race and eventually, set up the World War I. During the beginning of war, a peaceful moment, the Christmas truce, where a peaceful football match between French, British and German soldiers occurred.[2] This was considered the first unofficial match between France and Germany.

The countries first played each other in an official international in 1931 when France defeated the Weimar Republic. However, rivalry soon increased with the German invasion of France, and antagonism persisted until the end of World War II.[3][4] One of the most notable meetings between the two countries came in the 1982 World Cup semi-final, which ended 3–3 after extra time before West Germany won in a penalty shoot-out.[5] Michel Platini himself declared the match as his "most beautiful game".[6]

Comparison in major tournaments

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Key

  Denotes which team finished better in that particular competition.
DNQ: Did not qualify.
DNP: Did not participate.
TBD: To be determined.

Tournament  France  Germany Notes
1930 FIFA World Cup 7th DNP
1934 FIFA World Cup 9th 3rd
1938 FIFA World Cup 6th 10th Tournament hosted by France.
1950 FIFA World Cup Withdrew DNP
1954 FIFA World Cup 11th 1st
1958 FIFA World Cup 3rd 4th In the third-place match, France defeated West Germany 6–3.
Euro 1960 4th DNP Tournament hosted by France.
1962 FIFA World Cup DNQ 7th
Euro 1964 DNQ
1966 FIFA World Cup 13th 2nd
Euro 1968 DNQ
1970 FIFA World Cup DNQ 3rd
Euro 1972 1st
1974 FIFA World Cup Tournament hosted by West Germany.
Euro 1976 2nd
1978 FIFA World Cup 12th 6th
Euro 1980 DNQ 1st
1982 FIFA World Cup 4th 2nd In the semifinals, West Germany defeated France 5–4 on penalties, after the match ended 3-3 after extra time.
Euro 1984 1st 5th Tournament hosted by France.
1986 FIFA World Cup 3rd 2nd In the semifinals, West Germany defeated France 2-0.
Euro 1988 DNQ 3rd Tournament hosted by West Germany.
1990 FIFA World Cup 1st
Euro 1992 6th 2nd
1994 FIFA World Cup DNQ 5th
Euro 1996 4th 1st
1998 FIFA World Cup 1st 7th Tournament hosted by France.
Euro 2000 15th
2002 FIFA World Cup 28th 2nd
Euro 2004 6th 12th
2006 FIFA World Cup 2nd 3rd
Euro 2008 15th 2nd
2010 FIFA World Cup 29th 3rd
Euro 2012 8th 4th
2014 FIFA World Cup 7th 1st In the quarter-finals, Germany defeated France 1-0.
Euro 2016 2nd 3rd Tournament hosted by France. In the semifinals, France defeated Germany 2–0.
2018 FIFA World Cup 1st 22nd
Euro 2020 11th 15th Tournament hosted by multiple countries; Germany hosted some matches. In the group stage, France defeated Germany 1-0.
2022 FIFA World Cup 2nd 17th
Euro 2024 4th 5th
2026 FIFA World Cup 18th
Euro 2028 TBD TBD

Major encounters

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1958 FIFA World Cup

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France 6–3 West Germany
 [Report 1]
Attendance: 32,483

1982 FIFA World Cup

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1986 FIFA World Cup

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France 0–2 West Germany
Report Brehme 9'
Völler 89'
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Luigi Agnolin (Italy)

2014 FIFA World Cup

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France 0–1 Germany
[Report 2]
Attendance: 74,240

UEFA Euro 2016

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Germany 0–2 France
Report
Attendance: 64,078[7]

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

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Germany 0–0 France
Report
Attendance: 67,485[8]
France 2–1 Germany
 Report
Attendance: 77,300[8]

UEFA Euro 2020

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France 1–0 Germany
 Report
Attendance: 13,000[9]

2025 UEFA Nations League Finals

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Germany 0–2 France
Report
Attendance: 51,313[10]

Matches

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Number Date Location Competition Game Results
115 March 1931France ParisFriendlyFrance – Weimar Republic1–0
219 March 1933Weimar Republic BerlinFriendlyWeimar Republic – France3–3
317 March 1935France ParisFriendlyFrance – Germany1–3
421 March 1937Nazi Germany StuttgartFriendlyGermany – France4–0
55 October 1952France ParisFriendlyFrance – West Germany3–1
616 October 1954West Germany HannoverFriendlyWest Germany – France1–3
728 June 1958Sweden Gothenburg1958 FIFA World CupFrance – West Germany6–3
826 October 1958France ParisFriendlyFrance – West Germany2–2
924 October 1962West Germany StuttgartFriendlyWest Germany – France2–2
1027 September 1967West Germany BerlinFriendlyWest Germany – France5–1
1125 September 1968France MarseilleFriendlyFrance – West Germany1–1
1213 October 1973West Germany GelsenkirchenFriendlyWest Germany – France2–1
1323 February 1977France ParisFriendlyFrance – West Germany1–0
1419 November 1980West Germany HannoverFriendlyWest Germany – France4–1
158 July 1982Spain Seville1982 FIFA World CupWest Germany – France3–3
(5–4 p)
1618 April 1984France StrasbourgFriendlyFrance – West Germany1–0
1725 June 1986Mexico Guadalajara1986 FIFA World CupFrance – West Germany0–2
1812 August 1987West Germany BerlinBerlin AnniversaryWest Germany – France2–1
1928 February 1990France MontpellierFriendlyFrance – West Germany2–1
201 June 1996Germany StuttgartFriendlyGermany – France0–1
2127 February 2001France ParisFriendlyFrance – Germany1–0
2215 November 2003Germany GelsenkirchenFriendlyGermany – France0–3
2312 November 2005France ParisFriendlyFrance – Germany0–0
2429 February 2012Germany BremenFriendlyGermany – France1–2
256 February 2013France ParisFriendlyFrance – Germany1–2
264 July 2014Brazil Rio de Janeiro2014 FIFA World CupFrance – Germany0–1
2713 November 2015France ParisFriendlyFrance – Germany2–0
287 July 2016France MarseilleUEFA Euro 2016Germany – France0–2
2914 November 2017Germany CologneFriendlyGermany – France2–2
306 September 2018Germany Munich2018–19 UEFA Nations LeagueGermany – France0–0
3116 October 2018France Paris2018–19 UEFA Nations LeagueFrance – Germany2–1
3215 June 2021Germany MunichUEFA Euro 2020France – Germany1–0
3312 September 2023Germany DortmundFriendlyGermany – France2–1
3423 March 2024France LyonFriendlyFrance – Germany0–2
358 June 2025Germany Stuttgart2025 UEFA Nations League FinalsGermany – France0–2

Statistics

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All-time top goalscorers

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As of 8 June 2025
Nation Player Goals Years
France Antoine Griezmann 5 2014–2024
France Just Fontaine 4 1958
Germany Rudi Völler 3 1982–1994
West Germany Gerd Müller 3 1966–1974

Overall record

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As of 8 June 2025
Competition Matches[11] Result Goals
France Draws Germany France Germany
FIFA World Cup 411*299
UEFA European Championship 220030
UEFA Nations League 321041
All competitions 95221610
Friendly 2611693740
All matches 35168115350

Note 1: * Germany overcame France in 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final match via penalty shoot-out.


Trophies

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Competition Titles
Germany France
FIFA World Cup 42
FIFA Confederations Cup 1 2
UEFA Euros 32
UEFA Nations League 01
Summer Olympics 1 1
All competitions98

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "The War That Set The Stage For World War One". Forces Network. 2 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Dash. "Peace on the Western Front, Goodwill in No Man's Land – The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce". Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Miller Llana, Sara (4 July 2014). "World Cup: France-Germany rivalry isn't just about the wars". Christian Science Monitor.
  4. ↑ Bamat, Joseph (4 July 2014). "France vs Germany: a football rivalry 30 years in the making". France 24.
  5. ↑ "Germany vs France: The European Rivalry That Keeps on Giving". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Pears, Tim (26 October 2008). "'My most beautiful game': France v West Germany, 1982 World Cup semi-final". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Germany v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Summary UEFA Nations League A – Group 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  9. ↑ "Full Time Summary – France v Germany" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Full Time Report Third-place play-off – Germany v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "France national football team: record v Germany". 11v11.com. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

Reports

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  1. ↑
  2. ↑
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