The Italy–Spain football rivalry (Italian: Rivalità calcistica Italia-Spagna; Spanish: Rivalidad futbolística Italia-España) sometimes referred to as the Mediterranean derby,[1] is a football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and Spain,[2] the two countries have won five FIFA World Cups and five UEFA European Championship between them. Italy has won four FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships while Spain have won one FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships. They have played against each other three times in the World Cup and seven times in the European Championship, including each of the five most recent Euros from 2008 to 2024. Most notably, the two met at the UEFA Euro 2012 final, which Spain won. They also met at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the UEFA Nations League semi-finals in both 2021 and 2023.
Spain has won 14, and Italy 11, of the 41 matches between them (including four at the Summer Olympic Games in the 1920s).[3] Although the two nations are not immediate geographical neighbours, their rivalry at international level is enhanced by the strong performances of the representative clubs in UEFA competitions, in which they are among the leading associations and have each enjoyed spells of dominance. Including the defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, twelve continental finals have been contested between an Italian and a Spanish representative (Spain dominate this with eight victories).[4][5] The frequent meetings between the clubs have led to the elite players becoming very familiar with one another when they meet at national level. The two nations' under-21 teams, which are also among the strongest in the world, are also acknowledged as rivals.[1]
Denotes which team finished better in that particular competition.
DNQ: Did not qualify.
DNP: Did not participate.
TBD: To be determined.
On 31 May, Italy faced Spain in the quarter-final of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, where the two sides drew 1–1 after extra time with Spanish goal by Luis Regueiro in the 30th minute and Italian goal by Giovanni Ferrari in the 44th minute. They then faced off again in the replay match the following day to settle the team that advances; Italy won the replay 1–0 win the goal coming from Giuseppe Meazza in the 11th minute.[6] Italy went on to win their first World Cup title.
On 14 June, Italy and Spain were matched up for the second match in the group stage, where Italy won 1–0 with the goal coming from Gianluca Vialli in the 73rd minute.[6] Italy went on to win their last group match, while Spain lost theirs; Italy made it out of the group, while Spain did not.
On 9 July, Italy won the quarter-final match up against Spain in the 1994 World Cup 2–1 quarter-final at Foxboro Stadium, with Italian Dino Baggio scoring first in the 25th minute, the Spaniards equalised with a goal from José Luis Caminero in the 58th minute, before Roberto Baggio sealed the Italian victory in the 88th minute.[6] A controversy in the match was Mauro Tassotti's elbow on Spanish player Luis Enrique,[7] but during the match the incident went unpunished – Tassotti was later banned for eight games.[8]
On 22 June, Italy and Spain were matched up for a quarter-final in Euro 2008; the game ended a goalless draw after 120 minutes and resulted in a penalty shoot-out which Spain won 4–2.[6] Spain went on to win the European Championship for the second time.
On 1 July, Spain and Italy were matched up for the final of Euro 2012. The sides had already met in the group stage, drawing 1–1. Spain took the lead in the 14th minute, though, when Andrés Iniesta played a through-ball to Cesc Fàbregas, who drove past Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini to the by-line before pulling back a cross for David Silva to head into the net from six yards.[10] Chiellini was clearly struggling with a thigh injury he had picked up in the earlier rounds, and he was replaced by Federico Balzaretti after 20 minutes.[10] Italy responded with a couple of shots from Antonio Cassano that were saved by Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas,[10] but Spain doubled their lead before half-time when Xavi picked out left-back Jordi Alba, who capped a long forward run with a precise finish past Gianluigi Buffon in the Italy goal.[10]
Antonio Di Natale came on for Cassano at half-time and twice went close to scoring, the second effort forcing a save from the onrushing Casillas.[10] Italy's final substitution saw Thiago Motta replace Riccardo Montolivo, but he soon suffered a hamstring injury; with all of their substitutes used, Italy had to play the last 30 minutes of the match with ten men.[10] Fernando Torres replaced Fàbregas with 15 minutes left to play, and scored in the 84th minute – assisted by Xavi – to become the first man to score in two European Championship finals.[11] Torres then turned provider four minutes later, cutting the ball back with the outside of his boot for fellow substitute and Chelsea forward Juan Mata to sweep into an empty net for a final score of 4–0,[10] the widest margin of victory in any European Championship final. Spain became the first team to retain the European Championship title and also the first European team to win three major international competitions in a row.
On 27 June, Italy and Spain matched up for the round of 16 in the Euro 2016, in a rematch of the previous tournament's final and the group game, both four years ago. Italy won 2–0 with goals from Giorgio Chiellini in the 33rd minute and Graziano Pellè in stoppage time of the second half. Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea made several impressive saves to keep Spain in the match, notably on Pellè's first-half header attempt, however, it ultimately ended in defeat, eliminating the two-time defending European champions Spain.[14][15]
The two teams were drawn together for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, in UEFA Group G.[17][18] In the rematches of the last four matches of the UEFA European Championships, Italy and Spain drew 1–1 in the first leg in Turin[19] and then Spain defeated Italy 3–0 in the return leg in Madrid.[20]
On 6 July 2021, Italy and Spain faced each other in the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) at Wembley Stadium in London, marking the fourth consecutive European Championship that the sides meet. Italy and Spain, could not break the deadlock after 120 minutes, and Italy won 4–2 in the resulting penalty shoot-out en route to their first European title in 53 years and their first major international football title in 15 years.
On 20 June 2024, Italy and Spain faced each other in the second match of Group B, the fifth consecutive European Championships they played each other.[22] Spain won 1–0 through a Riccardo Calafiori own goal, marking their first victory over Italy in a major tournament since the 4–0 victory in the Euro 2012 final.