Spain Aims to Match Germany's Historic Double at 2026 World Cup

Spain is preparing for the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with high hopes of repeating the success of its golden generation led by the late coach Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque, according to a report by the German news agency.

The Spanish team began its golden era by winning the UEFA European Championship in 2008, hosted by Switzerland and Austria. This was followed by capturing the 2010 World Cup title in South Africa under del Bosque's leadership. Spain then reinforced its continental dominance by triumphing at Euro 2012, defeating Italy 4-0 in the final.

Despite these achievements, Spain experienced unexpected setbacks afterward. The team was eliminated in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup after heavy defeats to the Netherlands and Chile, despite entering the tournament as the reigning world champions. A similar failure occurred after Spain's first European Championship win in 1964 when the team exited early from the 1966 World Cup in England.

The report highlighted that Germany was the only European team to have previously combined the continental and world titles before Spain. Germany won the 1972 European Championship and then secured the 1974 World Cup on home soil, led by legends Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller.

Conversely, winning the European Championship has often acted like a "curse" for several teams, as many failed to build on their continental success in the subsequent World Cup tournaments. For example, Czechoslovakia, which won Euro 1976, did not participate in the 1978 World Cup. Similarly, Denmark, champions of Euro 1992, failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

Euro 2004 saw one of the biggest surprises in the tournament's history when Greece claimed the title over Portugal but then failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Italy's experience was even more striking: after winning Euro 2020, the team did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup and has now confirmed its absence from the 2026 tournament, marking its third consecutive World Cup absence.

The failures were not limited to early exits or absence from the World Cup; some European champions came close to winning the world title but lost in the final moments. Italy, Euro 1968 champions, lost the 1970 World Cup final to Brazil, while West Germany, Euro 1980 winners, finished as runners-up in the 1982 World Cup after losing the final to Italy.

The report also reviewed the varied experiences of other European champions after their continental victories. France won Euro 1984 and reached the 1986 World Cup semifinals, then achieved a historic double by winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, but surprisingly exited in the first round of the 2002 World Cup. The Netherlands, Euro 1988 champions led by Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard, were eliminated in the second round of the 1990 World Cup. Portugal, after its historic Euro 2016 win, was knocked out in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup.

This time, Spain hopes for a different outcome, aiming to transform its recent European success into a new global achievement instead of falling victim to the so-called "curse of European champions" that has affected many teams throughout history.