France–Germany football rivalry
| Location | UEFA |
|---|---|
| Teams |  France Germany |
| First meeting | France 1–0 Weimar Republic (Friendly, Paris, 15 March, 1931) |
| Latest meeting | France 2–1 Germany (2018–19 UEFA Nations League, Paris, 16 October 2018) |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 31 |
| Most wins | France (14) |
| Largest victory | West Germany 5–1 France (Friendly, Berlin, 27 September, 1967) |
The France–Germany football rivalry is one of the biggest and most heated association football rivalries in Europe, between two European sides, France and Germany, two of the most successful national teams in the world.
Background
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.
After the WWI, France and Germany played its first ever encounter in 1931 when France defeated the Weimar Republic. However, rivalry soon increased with the German invasion of France, thus antagonism between France and Germany remained persisted until the end of World War II.[3] After the WWII, France and Germany's rivalry faded from political and military rivalry, but football rivalry between two remains, attracted large supporters from both nations alike.[4] The biggest and most remembered memoir of two countries came to 1982 FIFA World Cup encounter between West Germany and France, with both teams produced three goals each and fouls.[5] Michel Platini himself declared the 1982 match as his "most beautiful game".[6]
Matches
| Number | Date | Location | Competition | Game | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 March 1931 | Paris |
Friendly | France – Weimar Republic | 1–0 |
| 2 | 19 March 1933 |  Berlin |
Friendly | Weimar Republic – France | 3–3 |
| 3 | 17 March 1935 | Paris |
Friendly | France – Germany | 1–3 |
| 4 | 21 March 1937 |  Stuttgart |
Friendly | Germany – France | 4–0 |
| 5 | 5 October 1952 | Paris |
Friendly | France – West Germany | 3–1 |
| 6 | 16 October 1954 | Hannover |
Friendly | West Germany – France | 1–3 |
| 7 | 28 June 1958 |  Göteborg |
1958 FIFA World Cup | France – West Germany | 6–3 |
| 8 | 26 October 1958 | Paris |
Friendly | France – West Germany | 2–2 |
| 9 | 24 October 1962 | Stuttgart |
Friendly | West Germany – France | 2–2 |
| 10 | 27 September 1967 | Berlin |
Friendly | West Germany – France | 5–1 |
| 11 | 25 September 1968 | Marseilles |
Friendly | France – West Germany | 1–1 |
| 12 | 13 October 1973 | Gelsenkirchen |
Friendly | West Germany – France | 2–1 |
| 13 | 23 February 1977 | Paris |
Friendly | France – West Germany | 1–0 |
| 14 | 19 November 1980 | Hannover |
Friendly | West Germany – France | 4–1 |
| 15 | 8 July 1982 |  Seville |
1982 FIFA World Cup | West Germany – France | 3–3 (5–4 p) |
| 16 | 18 April 1984 | Strasbourg |
Friendly | France – West Germany | 1–0 |
| 17 | 25 June 1986 |  Guadalajara |
1986 FIFA World Cup | France – West Germany | 0–2 |
| 18 | 12 August 1987 | Berlin |
Berlin Anniversary | West Germany – France | 2–1 |
| 19 | 28 February 1990 | Montpellier |
Friendly | France – West Germany | 2–1 |
| 20 | 1 June 1996 | Stuttgart |
Friendly | Germany – France | 0–1 |
| 21 | 27 February 2001 | Paris |
Friendly | France – Germany | 1–0 |
| 22 | 15 November 2003 | Gelsenkirchen |
Friendly | Germany – France | 0–3 |
| 23 | 12 November 2005 | Paris |
Friendly | France – Germany | 0–0 |
| 24 | 29 February 2012 | Bremen |
Friendly | Germany – France | 1–2 |
| 25 | 6 February 2013 | Paris |
Friendly | France – Germany | 1–2 |
| 26 | 4 July 2014 |  Rio de Janeiro |
2014 FIFA World Cup | France – Germany | 0–1 |
| 27 | 13 November 2015 | Paris |
Friendly | France – Germany | 2–0 |
| 28 | 7 July 2016 | Marseilles |
UEFA Euro 2016 | Germany – France | 0–2 |
| 29 | 14 November 2017 | Cologne |
Friendly | Germany – France | 2–2 |
| 30 | 6 September 2018 | Munich |
2018–19 UEFA Nations League | Germany – France | 0–0 |
| 31 | 16 October 2018 | Paris |
2018–19 UEFA Nations League | France – Germany | 2–1 |
| 32 | 15 June 2021 | Munich |
UEFA Euro 2020 | France – Germany | TBD |
See also
References
- ^ https://www.forces.net/news/tri-service/war-set-stage-world-war-one
- ^ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11310353/The-truth-about-the-Christmas-Day-football-match.html
- ^ https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2014/0704/World-Cup-France-Germany-rivalry-isn-t-just-about-the-wars
- ^ https://www.france24.com/en/20140703-world-cup-france-germany-old-rivalry-night-seville-1982-schumacher-football-brazil
- ^ https://sabotagetimes.com/football/germany-vs-france-the-european-rivalry-that-keeps-on-giving
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/oct/26/world-cup-platini