Nice Attack: A minute of silence observed before France-Spain in World Cup

The 2026 World Cup semi-final between France and Spain will begin with a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of the Nice attack on July 14, 2016. A decision made by FIFA following a request made by Éric Ciotti and relayed by the French Football Federation.

Before the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup semi-final between France and Spain, this Tuesday, July 14 in Dallas, a minute of silence will be observed in memory of the victims of the Nice attack. The announcement came on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Promenade des Anglais, which claimed the lives of 86 people from 19 nationalities and left more than 400 wounded.

This decision follows a request made to FIFA by the mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, with the support of the French Football Federation. In a statement published on Monday, the elected official expressed his satisfaction with the agreement granted by the world football body and thanked its president, Gianni Infantino, as well as Philippe Diallo and the FFF for supporting this commemorative initiative.

A few days earlier, Éric Ciotti had asked FIFA for a tribute to be paid before this match held on the day of commemorations. In his letter, the mayor of Nice believed that this moment of reflection would testify to “the solidarity of the great football family with the victims of terrorism and their loved ones and recall the values of fraternity, peace, respect and unity” upheld by football.

The request relayed by the FFF and welcomed by Emmanuel Macron

The French Football Federation transmitted this request to FIFA. On Monday, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron confirmed on the social network X that this minute of silence would indeed be observed.

“Before France-Spain, a minute of silence will be observed in tribute to the victims of the Nice attack, ten years after July 14, 2016. Thank you to the FIFA President for responding to France’s request and all French people mobilized. We will never forget”, wrote the head of state.

This minute of silence is not a first during this World Cup. The French team players had already observed a moment of silence before their match against Norway in tribute to the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela. Another tribute was also observed before the quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland, following the death of South African player Jayden Adams.

This minute of silence will allow the entire stadium to pay tribute to the victims, the wounded, their families and all the people of Nice, ten years after the attack that left a lasting mark on the city.