How Spain’s Men’s And Women’s National Teams Rose Above The Rest Of The World

NEW YORK — Spain has the chance to accomplish something no nation has ever achieved.

If it defeats defending champion Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, both its men’s and women’s national teams will simultaneously hold the sport’s biggest trophy.

Germany’s men and women have each won two World Cups, but never concurrently. Similar feats have happened in other sports, including UConn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams winning national championships in 2004 and 2014, USA Basketball’s men and women taking gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the American men’s and women’s hockey teams winning gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Now Spain — with the women’s side winning its first World Cup title in 2023 — has a chance to set a new standard for sustained dominance on soccer’s biggest stage.

So how did Spain get here? What has allowed it to separate itself from the rest of the world? What is it doing better than everyone else? 

“This is the only country that starts a philosophy and an identity at a young age, and they’re all doing the same things from 9 years old and up, both the men’s and women’s side,” U.S. women’s national team legend Carli Lloyd told me. Now a FOX Sports analyst, Lloyd played against Spain during her career and has watched firsthand how the program evolved into a powerhouse.

“They focus on technical excellence first and their positional play, short passing, patience, development — all those different things. And I think for a number of years, they weren’t incredibly successful but have figured out ways of going about that with the way they play.”

The World Cup is only part of the story. Spain’s superiority has extended across nearly every major competition. The women’s national team won the 2025 Euros, while Barcelona — the club that is essentially the backbone of the squad — 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 on Spain’s World Cup roster were part of one or both of those triumphs, evidence that this success has been building for years.

For many of these players, the foundation was laid years ago at La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy that has long been considered one of the world’s best at developing young talent. It’s where Lionel Messi arrived as a 13-year-old before becoming arguably the greatest player in history. 

The academy’s legacy extends beyond Messi, though. 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 both were shaped by the same developmental system.

The academy opened its doors to women residents in 2021, and its pipeline 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. 

The familiarity and continuity built through this pathway is partly what has made these teams so successful.

“We did it with discipline, being organized, with sacrifice, with commitment, with effort,” Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente said when asked how his team was able to beat France in a third straight major tournament semifinal last week. “I think that was what we do best as Spanish football players is to interpret and read the game. They know how to behave in defensive and offensive phases and in the midfield.

“And that’s the fruits of our labor in the academies — all the coaches in Spain, we really value what we’re doing at that level. And this is another example that, in spite of 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 coming through the youth system, but coaches, too. De la Fuente spent nearly a decade coaching and winning with Spain’s U-19, U-21 and U-23 programs before he was named senior team manager in 2022. Even Jorge Vilda, who managed 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 is something to be said for even the coaches being educated on that philosophy and that identity and working themselves from youth levels on up,” Lloyd said. “You just continue to get better as a coach, just like as a player you’re developing through the ranks.

“I think there is a huge 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 we [the U.S.] don’t do that. Every coach that I’ve had has had a bit of a different flavor and finesse to their coaching. Sure, we’ve had that American mentality and DNA of being physical and grit and determination to win. But you can’t really look at our whole structure and say, ‘Oh, this is exactly how the U.S. play.’”

Back in the day, Spain was renowned for the “tiki taka” style and short intricate passing that many tried to emulate. It’s evolved into more progressive passing, finding ways to be clinical and punish teams in front of goal, as well as playing more vertical and getting in behind.

“They’ll kill you with 1,000 passes in possession,” Lloyd said before referencing Spain’s second goal against France in the World Cup semifinal. Pedro Porro and Olmo’s combination and quick passing sequence was quintessential Spain before Porro found the back of the net to give his team a 2-0 lead.

“Their movement is not really about being in sync. It’s about where the next one or two passes should be, and they all know what to do, and it’s really incredible,” Lloyd continued. “I think they are probably the most complete team at this World Cup. The last game [against France] was an absolute masterclass. 

“And the second goal, that is only being taught from a system and a philosophy that has been developed for years. That doesn’t just happen when you come into the national team, and you start doing some passing patterns.”

Could this be the beginning of a dynasty? If the men win Sunday and the women can go back-to-back at next summer’s 2027 World Cup in Brazil, the answer is a resounding yes.