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NEW YORK- Spain has the opportunity to achieve something that no nation has ever achieved.
If it defeats defending champion Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, its men’s and women’s national teams will simultaneously hold the sport’s biggest trophy.
The Germans, both men and women, have won two World Cups each, but never at the same time. Similar feats have occurred in other sports, including the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams winning national championships in 2004 and 2014, the USA Basketball men and women taking gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams winning gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Now Spain, with the women’s team winning its first World Cup title in 2023, has the opportunity to set a new standard for sustained dominance on football’s biggest stage.
Spain celebrates after winning the 2023 World Cup. (Photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)
So how did Spain get here? What has allowed you to separate yourself from the rest of the world? What are you doing better than others?
“This is the only country that starts a philosophy and an identity at a young age, and everyone does the same things from the age of 9 on, both the male and female sides,” US women’s national team legend Carli Lloyd told me. Lloyd, now an analyst for FOX Sports, played against Spain during his career and has seen firsthand how the program became a powerhouse.
“They focus first on technical excellence and their positional play, short passing, patience, development… all those different things. And I think for a number of years they didn’t have incredible success, but they have found ways to achieve it with the way they play.”
The World Cup is only part of the story. Spain’s superiority has extended to almost all important competitions. The women’s national team won Euro 2025, while Barcelona, the club that is essentially the backbone of the team, has captured three of the last four Women’s Champions League titles.
The men’s team enters Sunday’s final as the reigning European champion and Olympic gold medalist. Twenty of the 26 players in Spain’s World Cup squad were part of one or both of those wins, proof that this success has been building up for years.
For many of these players, the foundations were laid years ago at La Masia, the famous Barcelona academy that has long been considered one of the best in the world at developing young talent. It is where Lionel Messi arrived when he was 13 years old before becoming arguably the best player in history.
Lamine Yamal competes for the ball with France’s Maxence Lacroix during the 2026 World Cup semi-final. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
However, the academy’s legacy extends beyond Messi. Nine alumni will be on the field for Sunday’s World Cup final: Messi for Argentina and Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí, Dani Olmo, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marc Cucurella and Víctor Muñoz for Spain. The viral photo of Messi bathing baby Yamal has become a symbol of the passing of the torch, but a deeper connection is that they were both shaped by the same developmental system.
The academy opened its doors to female residents in 2021, and its portfolio has already produced many of Spain’s biggest stars, including three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Clàudia Pina, Ona Batlle and more.
Aitana Bonmatí during the 2023 FIFA World Cup final against England in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by José Bretón/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The familiarity and continuity built through this path is partly what has made these teams so successful.
“We did it with discipline, organization, sacrifice, commitment, effort,” said Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente when asked how his team was able to beat France in a third consecutive semifinal of a major tournament last week. “I think what we know how to do best as Spanish footballers is interpret and read the game. They know how to behave in defensive, offensive and midfield phases.
“And that is the fruit of our work in the academies: all the coaches in Spain, we really value what we are doing at that level. And this is another example that, despite being happy, we want more. And we want to take this World Cup and claim this title. That would be a really amazing achievement.”
And it’s not just about the players who come through the youth system, but also the coaches. De la Fuente spent nearly a decade coaching and winning with Spain’s U-19, U-21 and U-23 programs before being named team general manager in 2022. Even Jorge Vilda, who coached Spain at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, coached the senior team for eight years after winning titles at the youth level. He was later fired in 2023 as part of the fallout from the Luis Rubiales scandal.
“There’s something to be said even for coaches being educated in that philosophy and that identity and working from youth levels on up,” Lloyd said. “You just continue to improve as a coach, just as as a player you are developing through the ranks.
“I think it’s of great importance. I just don’t know anywhere else in the world if that could be replicated. It would be very interesting to see. I think [the U.S.] don’t do that. Every trainer I’ve had has had a different flavor and finesse in their training. Sure, we’ve had that mentality and that American DNA of being physical, brave and determined to win. But you can’t really look at our entire structure and say, ‘Oh, this is exactly how the United States plays.'”
Back then, Spain was famous for the “tiki taka” style and the short, intricate passes that many tried to emulate. He has evolved towards more progressive passing, finding ways to be clinical and punish teams in front of goal, as well as playing more vertically and getting in behind.
“They’ll kill you with 1,000 passes in possession,” Lloyd said before referring to Spain’s second goal against France in the World Cup semi-final. The combination of Pedro Porro and Olmo and the sequence of quick passes were quintessential Spain before Porro found the back of the net to give his team a 2-0 lead.
“Their movement isn’t really about being in sync. It’s about where the next one or two passes should be, and everyone knows what to do, and it’s really awesome,” Lloyd continued. “I think they are probably the most complete team in this World Cup. The last game [against France] It was an absolute masterclass.
“And the second goal, that it’s only taught from a system and a philosophy that’s been developed over years. That doesn’t just happen when you get to the national team and start doing some passing patterns.”
Could this be the start of a dynasty? If the men win on Sunday and the women can compete back-to-back at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil next summer, the answer is a resounding yes.
