Years of steady progress have placed La Roja on the cusp of World Cup championship
Who thought, by the end of the group stages, that Spain would be in the final come 19 July?
Many did, of course, but many more were drawn to other flashy teams, like France, who had an attacking contingent to die for but were blown away by the irresistible quality of this Spain team.
Spain came into this World Cup as European champions. They reached the final of the Uefa Nations League last year. This is a team playing at a level that has not been seen since that golden generation who won the Euros in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010.
But a quiet start to the tournament – marked by a memorable draw against Cape Verde – memorable for the tiny nation’s mettle and defensive nous – seemed to convince observers that Spain were not the real deal. Lamine Yamal has not been at his best. Spain don’t have elite attackers in the mould of a Kylian Mbappe or an Ousmane Dembele. Merlin is not really a duck. Also, rivers actually flow upwards.
🦆😍 Meet Merlin the duck – Mexico’s World Cup ‘ambassador’.
People can’t get enough of him waddling around Mexico City in the team’s jersey and custom socks.
The official Fifa mascot in Mexico may be Zayu the jaguar… but Merlin has clearly stolen the show. Sorry, Zayu.
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) June 20, 2026
Here is a very talented Spain team with the ability to constrict and squeeze the opposition, no matter their quality. A team with the tactical brilliance to make a semi-final against acclaimed World Cup favourites seem like an early-morning stroll in the adjacent Richard Greene Linear Park with its scenic lake.
Spain are appearing in only their second-ever World Cup final, since that golden evening in South Africa. That should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed this team under Luis de la Fuente, on the up since he took over after La Roja exited the 2022 tournament in the round of 16 at the hands of Morocco.
“We’ve been gradually growing,” said captain Rodri, imperious against France. “We have to keep doing the same things we’re doing because it has been a process for all five years.”
Spain have conceded only once in seven matches at this World Cup. Since drawing with Cape Verde in that opening game, they have won six in a row and outscored opponents 13-1. “Our goal when we got to this World Cup was to win the trophy, and we were convinced that we could achieve this,” Rodri said. “We’ve shown that this national team has been able to defeat great opponents.”
At the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Spain will face three challenges: Lionel Messi, an Argentina team with a winners’ mentality and who just don’t give up, and a potentially cagey, even attritional affair that could end in penalties with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Can La Roja cope with that?
“I don’t think you’ve seen the same Spain across all the matches,” Rodri said. “I think Sunday’s match will be quite different, as it will be a more physical one and we must be prepared. And I believe if we are known for something in this national team is that we know how to play different games based on the moment.
“We can even do it better. I think against France, we do one of the best games we ever done as a team. But against Argentina, I think we have to rise a level because they are the champions. And I’m really confident that we can do it.”
