Before Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton blows the opening whistle in the semifinal between France and Spain at the 2026 World Cup, there will be a minute of silence. The heartfelt tribute will be in honor of the victims of the Nice terror attacks on July 14, 2016.
This minute of silence won’t be the first at the 2026 World Cup. There have been several throughout the tournament. Many of them were in honor of the victims of a deadly earthquake in Venezuela. There was also a minute of silence before Spain’s quarterfinal matchup against Belgium in honor of the victims of a wildfire in the Spanish region of Almeria.
Moreover, there were minutes of silence before England vs. Norway and Argentina vs. Switzerland to honor South Africa’s Jayden Adams, who passed away at the age of 25 after playing at the 2026 World Cup. When France and Spain go head to head for a spot in the 2026 World Cup final, there will be another tribute added to the list.
FIFA accepted France’s request
While other minutes of silence may have been direct FIFA decisions, the tribute before Les Bleus‘ showdown with La Roja at Dallas Stadium—where the temperature isn’t expected to be a factor—was requested by France.
Spain during minute of silence in quarterfinals.
On the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks that claimed 86 lives and left more than 400 people injured, the French government asked FIFA to pay tribute, a request that soccer’s governing body accepted.
“Thank you to the President of FIFA for responding to the request of France and all mobilized French people. We will never forget,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on his X account.
Special date for France
Although the anniversary of the Nice attacks still lingers, July 14 is France’s main national holiday (Bastille Day), meaning the semifinal against Spain will carry even more weight for Les Bleus as they vie to reach a third consecutive World Cup final.
