PREVIEW: Spain laud “trust and understanding” in World Cup glory pursuit
· Yahoo Sports
It should perhaps come as no surprise that, as the reigning European champions, Spain are among the favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup which gets underway in North America on Thursday 11 June.
But since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010, the Spaniards have failed to impress on the world stage. They’ve failed to so much as win a knockout match at the World Cup, and this year, the pressure is greater than ever before.
Visit sport-tr.bet for more information.
Spain are no longer a team in transition; their UEFA Euro 2024 final win over England has given them a taste of victory, and perhaps most importantly, they are aware of exactly what head coach Luis de la Fuente demands of them. The majority of this squad have played under the 64-year-old for years, as he previously served as head coach of various age categories for the national team before taking the senior job.
“My relationship with around 90% of the current squad goes back years. I’ve even known some of them since they were ten or 12. I’ve witnessed every stage of their development and we’ve grown together. It transcends the normal relationship between a player and coach,” he told FIFA in an interview ahead of this summer’s tournament.
“I actually think that’s one of our strengths: the trust and understanding within the group gives us the confidence to push ourselves as far as we can go. It’s very reassuring.”
Spain have not lost a game in regulation time since that glorious summer’s day in Berlin two years ago. Their only defeat came in the form of a penalty shootout loss to Portugal in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, which was a bitter blow to La Roja, but serves to illustrate just how stubborn this Spanish side can be across a 90 minute game.
Spain haven’t exactly lucked out with easy opponents, either. Their path to European glory saw them pick off Germany, France and then England so while – on paper – topping a group containing Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay should be light work, Spain shouldn’t be complacent as the Saudis did famously beat Argentina four years ago before the Albiceleste went on to lift the trophy, and Uruguay are more than capable of holding their own.
Much of the narrative surrounding Argentina’s path to glory in Qatar in 2022 focused on Lionel Messi as he sought to claim the one major trophy that had, to that point, evaded him throughout his illustrious career. This time around, the world has chosen to fix their eyes on Spain’s Lamine Yamal, a player who truly burst onto the scene at UEFA Euro 2024 and hasn’t backed out of the limelight ever since.
His stunning goal in the semi-final win at the Allianz Arena – four days before his 17th birthday – was indicative of things to come from the Barcelona starboy, who has revolutionised this Spanish side with the confidence and flair of a man who is wise beyond his years. As is the case with any teenager, though, Yamal has been prone to a tantrum or two when things don’t quite pan out as he had hoped, and Luis de la Fuente will be keen to avoid that this summer.
The head coach explained: “He made his debut with us at 16. He’s now 18 and we’re instilling the fundamental principles of football in him. It’s about teaching him the values he should have in both football and life. They have to go hand-in-hand. He’s hungry to grow and improve and he sets high standards, especially for himself. That willingness to learn means that he’s very open to receiving advice. That’s a recipe for success as long as you stay injury-free.”
But the youngster isn’t Spain’s only hope. La Roja can count on a star-studded attacking lineup that also includes the likes of Nico Williams, Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal. Depth in midfield is no problem with Rodri, Gavi, Pedri and Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi amongst the available options, and a defensive arsenal including Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Pubill certainly isn’t to be shrugged at.
La Roja have a comfortable route to the final four in North America this summer, but it is imperative that they start well against Cape Verde as dropping points and finishing second in their group would see them pitted against the winners of Group J – likely Argentina – in the round-of-32.
If they top their group and progress past the Group J runners-up, however, then they’d likely face Croatia or Colombia in the last-16, which would represent a significant opportunity to record their best FIFA World Cup finish since winning the tournament back in 2010. Belgium or the United States would likely await in the quarter-finals, with France the most probable opponent in the semi-final as the sides battle it out in Dallas to progress to the final.
This has the potential to be a very memorable summer indeed for La Roja, if they play their cards right.