Spain are not shrinking from the label. On the eve of their first World Cup match in Atlanta, Mikel Merino said the squad feels “100%” ready, a simple answer that matched the tone around a team now being spoken of as one of the tournament’s favourites.
That confidence has a hard backing. Spain won Euro 2024, and they did it by beating Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and England on the way to the title. They are also unbeaten in 30 games, which is why the conversation around them has moved from surprise to expectation. Luis de la Fuente asked, “Why can’t Spain win the World Cup?” and the question no longer sounds like a throwaway line.
The reason readers are searching now is that Spain’s World Cup build-up is not about proving they belong. It is about whether the team that lifted the Henri Delaunay Cup can turn that European peak into something bigger. Rodri summed up the mood after the Euros when he said, “I don’t think we were favourites at the Euros and we won it,” and that is the point: this group has already learned how to carry a tag that once sat awkwardly on them.
There is also less mystery about the group than there used to be. Mikel Oyarzabal said there was “not much” difference between this Spain side and the one that won Euro 2024, even if the squad has changed since then. He added that Spain might not have had the loudest names, but believed the players were “top three in the world,” and that outside doubt only hardened the group once people started coming around. That is the spine of Spain’s confidence now: they do not need to sound revolutionary to believe they are still enough.
The friction is that perfection has already been interrupted. Spain’s 30-game unbeaten run is impressive, but it sits alongside the fact they were beaten on penalties in the 2025 Nations League final. That does not erase the run, but it does stop it from becoming a fantasy. Spain have been winning with authority, not invincibility, and the difference matters once a tournament gets tight.
The next test comes quickly enough to make the debate concrete. Spain’s first match in Atlanta will show whether their confidence survives the moment when expectation becomes pressure. Merino says they are ready. De la Fuente has already asked why they cannot win the World Cup. Now Spain have to answer it on the field.
