Spain became the winner of the 23rd World Championship.
There were many who thought that Spain would win this championship.
In a survey conducted by Medianews.az before the championship , Azerbaijani sports journalists participating in the survey also named the Spain national team as the top contender when asked "Which teams seem likely to become world champions in 2026?"
Medianews.az reminds that Spain had previously become world champion only once - in 2010.
How can Spain's victory be explained in a tournament featuring five-time world champion Brazil, four-time world cup winner Germany, three-time champion Argentina, two-time world champion Uruguay and France, and even England, regarded as the birthplace of football, who have won the world champion title once?
As well-known sports analyst Rasim Mövsümzadə told Medianews.az before the championship, the Spanish national team has shown very stable play and high results in recent years.
The Spain national team won the European Championship in 2024. In that competition, Spain was able to defeat rivals such as Croatia, Italy, Germany, France, and England.
The Spanish national team is known for a playing style based on ball control and short passes. This trait has made it one of the teams difficult to defeat. In the last three years, no opponent has been able to beat Spain in official matches during regular or added time. The team only lost to Colombia (0:1) in a friendly match in 2024 and to Portugal in a penalty shootout in last year's UEFA Nations League final.
The team's head coach Luis de la Fuente rose to lead the main national team in 2022 after achieving success as a coach with Spain’s U-19, U-21, and U-23 teams, and under his guidance, the team has already won the European champion title ahead of DÇ-2026.
As R. Mövsümzadə noted, the main strength of the Spanish national team is its broad and high-quality roster. The backbone of the team is largely composed of players from "Barcelona." The club, which has been the Spanish champion for two consecutive seasons, had eight players included in the squad for DÇ-2026. These are reserve goalkeeper Joan Garcia, defenders Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsí, midfielders Gavi and Pedri, and forwards Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, and Lamine Yamal.
There are also three players from the English champion "Arsenal" in the squad. These are goalkeeper David Raya and midfielders Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi.
Thus, the main factors leading Spain to victory at DÇ-2026 were the successful results of recent years, the unbeaten streak, a stable team model formed under Luis de la Fuente’s leadership, and a strong roster made up of high-level players.
Recall that the 23rd FIFA World Cup was jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
In the Mundial final match, Spain and Argentina national teams faced each other. The meeting held at the "MetLife" stadium in New York ended with a 1:0 victory for the European representative. No goals were scored during regular time. Spain managed to score in extra time. Ferran Torres, who found his way to the opponent’s net in the 106th minute, gave Spain the victory. With this, the team became world champion for the second time in its history.
The championship took place from June 11 to July 19. 48 teams competed in 12 groups. The top two teams from each group and the best 8 third-placed teams qualified for the round of 16.
The round of 16 ended on July 4.
The round of 16, which started on July 4, ended on July 7.
Quarter-finals were held from July 9 to 12, semi-finals on July 14-15, and the third-place and final matches on July 19.
Uruguay became world champion in 1930 and 1950, Italy in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006, Germany (West Germany) in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014, Brazil in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002, England in 1966, Argentina in 1978, 1986, and 2022, France in 1998 and 2018, and Spain in 2010.