Spain look certain to dominate at all levels

Spain winning another international tournament has become an annual occurrence. Last month alone, in Wrexham, Sarajevo and New Jersey, the outcome was the same: they were champs again.

Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute winner against Argentina in the World Cup final in the United States crowned another golden summer for Spanish football. It followed success at the men’s U19 European Championship in Wales and the women’s U19 European Championship in Bosnia-Herzegovina. More significantly, it meant Spain became the first-ever nation to hold the men’s and women’s World Cup titles simultaneously.

Three years ago, Olga Carmona’s strike in Sydney earned La Roja a 1-0 win against England and their first Women’s World Cup trophy. Torres’ goal led to Spain’s second men’s star.

They also top FIFA’s World Ranking. No country can boast that the coaching, player pathways and tactics are so aligned and intertwined.

Surprisingly, Spain’s dominance is relatively recent. Prior to the 2000s, they had only won the men’s European Championships in 1968, and they frequently disappointed at major tournaments. However, things changed after Euro 2004 with the appointment of Luis Aragonés as head coach. They have since won three of the last five European Championships (2008, 2012, 2024) and two World Cups (2010, 2026) in the men’s game, and the women’s World Cup in 2023.

There is a consistency to how those players who, across the men’s and women’s games, have gone on to enjoy so much success.