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Spain clinched their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final after a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, adding to the team’s long list of achievements in the sport at all levels.
“Women’s football, youth tournaments, Olympics, I lost a final to them,” World Cup winner Thierry Henry said of Spain after the match. “Time and time again, they come.
“They have an identity, a philosophy, they all play the same way at all levels.”
(Photo by Juan Luis Diaz/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Over the past three years, the men’s national team has won the 2023 UEFA Nations League, the 2024 European Championship and the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. Spain is almost in the middle of the longest unbeaten streak in the history of international football with 37 matches unbeaten.
The women’s national team, meanwhile, won their first ever World Cup in 2023 and a UEFA Nationals League title in 2025. They reached the final of the 2025 European Championship but lost to England on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Their shared success is no coincidence, according to Henry.
“They have an identity, a philosophy, they all play the same way at every level,” Henry said. “The coach knows exactly how the system works, you can see, it’s a team with stars.”
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has coached 14 matches in total at the World Cup and Euros, winning 13 and tying one, the most matches coached without a defeat by a European manager. Before taking charge of the Spanish men’s national team, he coached Spain at youth level (U19, U21 and U23) for nine years.
(Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Henry believes De la Fuente’s ability to enjoy immediate success at senior level is testament to Spain’s tactical philosophy.
“When Spain have the ball, they don’t give it back to you, you have to go get it,” Henry said. “I want to pay tribute to the system and what they have put in place. Because Spain has never won like this. And now they are winning at every level.”
Spain will face the winner of Argentina vs England for the World Cup title at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
