Luis de la Fuente’s Spain side continue to hit the headlines for all the right reasons. Fresh from kick-starting their qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup 26™ with consummate ease in an away double-header, recording a 3-0 romp over Bulgaria and a 6-0 mauling of Türkiye, the imperious Iberians have now knocked perennial pacesetters Argentina off their perch at the summit of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking.
They say that good things come to those who wait, and that proverb certainly applies in this case. Indeed, one must rewind 11 years and three months – to June 2014 – for the last time Spain sat top of the global pecking order. De la Fuente has very much been the driving force behind the reigning European champions’ rise, with the erstwhile coach of the Spanish U-21 side having overseen 27 wins and a trio of draws and defeats apiece in his 33 games since being handed the top job, in which his troops have plundered no fewer than 102 goals and conceded 43 times.
Spain last tasted defeat on 22 March 2024 – almost 18 months ago – when they slipped 1-0 in a friendly meeting with Colombia at London Stadium. Since then, the global heavyweights have registered 18 wins and four draws in a sequence that has yielded the UEFA EURO 2024 crown and a run to the trophy decider of the 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Nations League, in which they suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak to neighbours Portugal after the sides had shared a 2-2 stalemate.
The run of games since that Colombia defeat has included a 3-3 draw in a friendly outing against Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu. Meanwhile, the triumphant EURO 2024 campaign featured some mightily impressive results, including a 3-0 win over Croatia and a 1-0 success against Italy, followed by 2-1 victories over Germany, France and England en route to lifting the continental crown. In the knockout stage of the Nations League, the Netherlands were ousted on penalties in the quarter-finals after a 5-5 draw on aggregate, and in the last four, the French were again conquered, this time in an edge-of-your-seat 5-4 win.
If we cast our eyes over the national teams that represent Spain, the men’s senior side certainly aren’t the only ones enjoying a purple patch. Indeed, virtually all age groups across both genders are in fine fettle. Just like their counterparts in the men’s game, the Spanish women’s national team currently rule the roost in the global rankings, having regained top spot in the edition released this past 7 August.
Since the back end of August 2022, the Spanish national teams have been at their silverware-snaring best, with the European powerhouses having reigned supreme in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ in 2022 before capturing the 2022-23 Nations League crown, landing the 2023 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and triumphing in the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Nations League. The star-studded Spanish squads remained firmly on the glory trail last year, prevailing in the UEFA European Under-17 Women’s Championship, the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, the aforementioned EURO and the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
The challenge now facing De la Fuente’s charges is to book their place at next year’s global bonanza: the FIFA World Cup 26. If they succeed in securing a spot at the eagerly anticipated event on North American soil, they are sure to be amongst the favourites to repeat the feat achieved by the class of 2010.
However, before all of that, Spain can take great pleasure in being able to look down on everyone else from their lofty perch and just revel in the moment.
