Press and play: On the FIFA World Cup 2026

Spain’s second World Cup title , achieved after a narrow extra-time victory over Argentina in the final, was a triumph of the collective. The Luis de la Fuente-coached outfit conceded just one goal in eight matches, was unmatched in the centre of the pitch with playmaker and Golden Ball winner Rodri completing a record 790 passes, and exhibited diffused excellence up front by having seven different players score its 14 goals. So much so that even the individual brilliance of the teenaged Lamine Yamal was astutely subsumed within the whole. In fact, de la Fuente and Rodri had combined to deliver the 2024 European Championship too, with the latter adjudged the world’s best later that year. A second Ballon d’Or for the 30-year-old midfield metronome appears a certainty. The win also cemented Spain’s position as the pre-eminent footballing force of the first quarter of this century. Starting 2008, the country has won two of the five World Cups and three of the five Euros. Spain is the reigning women’s World Champion, and the assembly line of coaches it produces and players it exports make the nation a true powerhouse. Interestingly, after its maiden World Cup win in 2010, Spain had not gone past the round of 16 at three subsequent editions. The success in North America is thus a full-circle moment.