There’s no doubt about that Spain are among the main favorites to win the World Cup 2026. The results and performance throughout the year support that picture, and they have also enabled Spain to equal an all-time record previously held Germany in the FIFA rankings.
Spain ended 2025 as the best national team in the FIFA rankings system, narrowly ahead Argentina. This applies to the men’s side, but also to the women’s category: Spain also climbed to the top of the women’s rankings, creating a clear gap in the women’s rankings. United States.
Since the creation of the FIFA rankings Only one country previously topped both the men’s and women’s lists at the end of the same year. That distinction belonged to Germanywho held the position in 2014 thanks to the men’s World Cup title in Brazil and the women’s success at the UEFA European Championship a year earlier.
In the case of Spain, the current dominance can also be explained by concrete results. The men’s national team are the reigning European champions after winning the title in 2024 – a triumph that earned them the right to play in the competition. Very definitive against Argentina, the South American champions – and they were finalists in the UEFA Nations League 2025where they lost Portugal.
Spain’s Aitana Bonmati is the best women’s football player in the world.
On the women’s side, Spain rules World Cup champion since 2023, two-time winner of the UEFA Nations League in 2024 and 2025, and finished second in the European Championship after losing this year’s final against England.
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Spain’s success is also individual
The results of recent years clearly reflect the excellent work of the technical staff. Luis De La Fuente And Sonia Bermudez have given their teams a structure that maximizes individual strengths while minimizing weaknesses.
But the success is also driven by enormous individual talent. On the men’s side, Spain currently boasts some of the best players in the world. Lamine Yamal seems destined to become one of football’s next big stars, and at the age of 18 he already finished second in the league. Ballon d’Or to vote. That award was won last year by another Spanish player, Rodriwhile young talents such as Pedri, Gavi, And Pau Cubarsi emerge as future superstars.
On the women’s side, Spain currently dominates world football. Aitana Bonmati won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA the best award for the third consecutive year. She is supported by other stars like Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, And Mariona Caldentey.
Spain’s next objectives
Leading the FIFA rankings is obviously a great honor for Spain, but it also brings extra pressure. Every national team in the world will now aim to beat them, forcing Spain to work even harder to defend their status.
2026 will be a decisive year for the men’s team. In March they face Argentina in the Finalissima, a match that is not only a chance to lift another trophy but also the last big test before the World Cup in North America. Meanwhile, the women’s team will use the coming year as preparation, with the focus on getting into top form for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
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