Italy–Spain football rivalry
Football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Italy–Spain football rivalry?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
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 six times in the European Championship, including each of the previous four Euros from 2008 to 2020 editions. 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.
Location | Europe (UEFA) |
---|---|
Teams | Italy Spain |
First meeting | Spain 2–0 Italy 1920 Summer Olympics (2 September 1920) |
Latest meeting | Spain 2–1 Italy UEFA Nations League (15 June 2023) |
Next meeting | Spain v Italy Euro 2024 (20 June 2024) |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 41 |
Most wins | Spain (13) |
All-time series | Italy: 11 Draw: 16 Spain: 13 |
Largest victory | Italy 7–1 Spain 1928 Summer Olympics (4 June 1928) |
Largest goal scoring | Italy 7–1 Spain 1928 Summer Olympics (4 June 1928) |
Spain has won 13, and Italy 11, of the 40 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]