Spain's win vs. France ends incredible World Cup final streak

It seems like an understatement to say that Tuesday's FIFA World Cup semifinal between France and Spain had plenty riding on it.

Besides there being a place in the final at stake, the clash in Arlington, Texas, was a rematch of the 2024 European Championship semifinal, which Spain won 2-1 en route to lifting the trophy. There was also the subplot of Barcelona's boy wonder Lamine Yamal going up against Real Madrid rival and World Cup specialist striker Kylian Mbappé.

But there was also something else on the line, an extraordinary streak that stretched back more than 40 years. Before this tournament began, at least one player from both 10-time reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and Serie A giants Inter Milan has been involved in every World Cup final since Italy's 3-1 victory over West Germany in the 1982 decider in Spain.

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However, as well as breaking France's hearts and crushing their dreams of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final, Spain's 2-0 win also ended that incredible run. While Les Bleus have Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano of Bayern as well as Inter's Marcus Thuram in their squad, there are no players on the books of either club in Spain's World Cup party.

The streak will continue for one of those teams, as either Bayern's Harry Kane or Inter's Lautaro Martínez will advance to the final from Wednesday's second semi between England and Argentina. But it is now impossible for both clubs to have one or more of their stars competing in Sunday's final.

Here's a look at those Bayern and Inter players who made the truly remarkable run happen.

Spain 1982: Italy 3-1 West Germany

Buon compleanno Alessandro Altobelli! 🇮🇹🎂 He scored the goal that sealed victory in the 1982 #WorldCup Final, securing his country's first global title for almost half a century 🏆⚽️@azzurri | @FIGC pic.twitter.com/2Vl9snesWM

Bayern: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Paul Breitner, Wolfgang Dremmler (West Germany) Inter: Beppe Bergomi, Gabriele Oriali, Alessandro Altobelli (Italy)

Bayern and Inter were equally represented at the Bernabéu as both clubs offered up a trio of players for the 1982 final. The game was a classic as after a goalless first half, the Azzurri rushed to a brilliant 3-1 victory over their European rivals with Inter's Altobelli icing the cake with his team's third goal, scored in front of 90,000 fans.