Spain's victory caps off a complicated diplomatic week with France

Eduardo González The Spanish national team's victory over France in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has capped off a week largely marked, diplomatically, by bilateral relations with its neighboring country. This follows the latest parliamentary setback to the Treaty of Friendship with France, Mariano Rajoy's controversial remarks about the national identity of French players, and, finally, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's presence at the military parade for France's National Day. “SPECTACULAR! TO THE FINAL! Once again, the Spanish national football team makes us dream. Come on, Spain!” Sánchez posted on social media. “You are our pride, Spanish national football team! One step away from glory!” wrote Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. “Spain is in the final! You have once again shown why you are one of the great teams in the world. Now, with the entire country behind you, it's time to fight for the title. Thank you for letting us enjoy this journey,” the Royal Household posted. For his part, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, wrote: “Congratulations! Impressive! All of Spain is with you. On to the second star. Long live Spain!!!” Hours earlier, the Prime Minister had attended the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Élysées, presided over by French President Emmanuel Macron, which paid tribute to the “strategic awakening of Europe.” The event, held from the Place de l'Étoile to the Place de la Concorde, was attended by some thirty heads of state and government from the Coalition of Volunteers, who met this Monday in the French capital. Among the honor guard that led the parade were nearly 500 soldiers from 35 nations, including Ukraine. The objective of the parade, according to the Élysée Palace, was to give “an unprecedented demonstration” of the “complementarity of land and air capabilities” in “the defense of the interests of France and its allies.” Separately, the event included a tribute to the tenth anniversary of the attack in Nice, perpetrated on July 14, 2016, which killed 86 people. Sánchez's attendance at the parade came just days after the Senate, again at the behest of the People's Party, referred the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Spain and France back to the Constitutional Court. The PP's opposition to the Treaty is related to the controversial Article 2.4, which stipulates that “a member of the Government of one of the Parties shall be invited to the Council of Ministers of the other Party, at least once every three months and on a rotating basis.” According to Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party, this clause is incompatible with the Constitution. This is the Government's second attempt to pass this treaty, signed on January 19, 2023, in Barcelona by Pedro Sánchez and Emmanuel Macron during the XXVII Spanish-French Bilateral Summit. Following Thursday's vote, José Manuel Albares accused the PP, via social media, of having boycotted “the first Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with France: our friend and largest trading partner.” In this same context, former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has generated a strong controversy after publishing an article in the newspaper "El Debate" about the match between the Spanish and French national teams in which he stated that the neighboring country "has a very high level squad, although without French players." This article has caused strong outrage in France, where Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared on Monday to BFMTV that Rajoy's words "are pathetic" and warned that "France has no skin color and any statement to the contrary is the product of stupidity, racism, or a combination of both." For his part, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez (of Spanish origin, specifically from Almería) told the same channel that, "if that statement is accurate, it is absolutely unacceptable" because "it in no way reflects what France is (...), a country of diversity, where everyone can develop and find their place." Even the National Rally, the main far-right party in France led by Marine Le Pen, has accused Rajoy of being "racist" for his "scandalous, shameful, and regrettable" words. Meanwhile, the French Embassy in Spain posted on social media this Sunday that "all the players on the French national team are French." On behalf of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez posted on social media: “Spain belongs to those who love and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements. France, see you in the semifinals. May the best team win and may racism lose,” he concluded. Likewise, José Manuel Albares demanded that the leader of the People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, “disavow” Rajoy's words. So far, the PP's national spokesperson, Borja Sémper, has limited himself to saying that the former Prime Minister's football columns are “sarcastic” and written “without ill intent.”

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