World Cup preview: Spain
The 2010 world champions are hoping to bounce back from back-to-back disappointing showings
Previous World Cup appearances: 1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
Best finish: Champions (2010)
Group stage schedule: vs. Spain (Nov. 23), vs. Japan (Nov. 27), vs. Germany (Dec. 1)
Notes: All stats accurate as of Oct. 25, 2022.
The breakdown
How they qualified: Spain collected 19 points from eight games against Georgia, Greece, Kosovo and Sweden to win their group and secure a spot in Qatar. They were the only winner of a five-team group (half the groups had six teams) to suffer a defeat.
Names to know:
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City) — Laporte made his debut for Spain 10 days before Euro 2020 (played in 2021) after getting his switch from France approved. He immediately became an essential member of the team, playing every minute of the tournament and scoring the lone goal in their win over Slovakia in the group stage. The center back made his 100th start for Manchester City at the end of last season following his move from Athletic Bilbao in the 2018 January transfer window.
Koke (Atlético Madrid) — A veteran of two World Cups, two Euros and two Champions League finals, Koke has spent his entire career at his boyhood club. He got two starts at the 2018 World Cup and contributed two assists during this qualifying cycle. The 30-year-old was in the starting 11 for all six of Spain’s games at Euro 2020. He will likely make his 400th appearance for Atlético Madrid before the World Cup.
Pedri (Barcelona) — Pedri was part of Spain’s team for Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics, starting every game at both tournaments in the summer of 2021. He made three appearances during qualifying, recording an assist against Kosovo. The winner of the 2021 Golden Boy award as the best player in Europe under the age of 21 will turn 20 during the World Cup.
Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao) — The 25-year-old Simón became Spain’s No. 1 goalkeeper at the beginning of World Cup qualifying and has held the position ever since. Simón kept two clean sheets at Euro 2020 and helped his country prevail in a shootout against Switzerland in the quarterfinals. He’s made over 120 starts in La Liga for Athletic Bilbao.
Ferrán Torres (Barcelona) — Torres has become a vital member of the Spain squad over the past two years, tying for the team lead with three goal involvements (2 goals, 1 assist) at the Euros and logging the most minutes of any outfield player during qualifying. He was also the only player to net more than two goals in qualifying. The former Manchester City winger moved to Barcelona in last season’s January transfer window.
Potential breakout star: Gavi (Barcelona)
A product of the famed La Masia academy, Gavi made his Barcelona debut at the beginning of the 2021-22 season just after his 17th birthday and started 28 La Liga games. His first appearance for the national team came soon after on Oct. 6, 20211. He just picked up the Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award as the top young player in Europe for his performance in his first season as a professional.
The bottom line
Reason for optimism: Recent improvement
Spain went from failing to reach the quarterfinals of three consecutive major tournaments (2014 World Cup, Euro 2016, 2018 World Cup) to being a penalty shootout away from playing in the Euro 2020 final. They are in a much better place than they were four years ago.
Biggest question: Can they make their possession count?
Spain had at least 67% of the possession in every game at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020. They drew seven of the 10 games they played, only scoring multiple goals four times. Sometimes they score five goals and look brilliant. Other times they connect a bunch of meaningless passes and don’t create much of anything.
Here’s the deal:
They are back to being legitimate contenders and were arguably the best team at Euro 2020. The lack of star power makes them more of a dark horse than a favorite.