French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that a minute’s silence will be observed before France’s FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against Spain to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Nice terror attack.
Macron thanked FIFA President Gianni Infantino for approving France’s request to honour the victims before the match, which will be played on July 14 (local time).
“Before the France-Spain match, a minute of silence will be observed in homage to the victims of the Nice attack, ten years after July 14, 2016. Thank you to the President of FIFA for responding to the request of France and all mobilized French people. We will never forget,” Macron said in a post on X.
The French Football Federation (FFF) also confirmed the tribute, saying: “A minute of silence in memory of the victims of the July 14, 2016, attack in Nice will be observed during the France-Spain World Cup semi-final tomorrow evening.”
On July 14, 2016, a truck ploughed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day along Nice’s Promenade des Anglais, killing 86 people, including children, and injuring more than 430 others before the attacker was shot dead by police.
The tribute will precede one of the tournament’s biggest fixtures, with France taking on Spain for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.
France have reached the semi-finals after topping Group I before defeating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32, Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 and Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals. Didier Deschamps’ side has yet to concede a goal in the knockout rounds, with captain Kylian Mbappe playing a pivotal role in their campaign.
