There was a time when Spain looked at the rest of the footballing world with a sense of total entitlement. Between 2008 and 2012, La Roja built a dynasty that left the rest of the globe chasing shadows, with their World Cup triumph in 2010 sandwiched between two European Championship titles.
But when that golden era came crashing down, a decade of painful restarts forced the nation to consume a massive dose of humble pie. Heading into this summer's 2026 World Cup, however, the mood in Spain is entirely different. It is a healthier, more balanced kind of optimism.
After silencing an army of doubters to storm their way to the Euro 2024 title - soundly beating Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and England along the way - Luis de la Fuente's side have re-established themselves as a global powerhouse. They arrive in North America with the calculated precision of a team that knows exactly who they are.
To get an insider's view on La Roja's preparation, the tactical obsessiveness of the country, and their desperate search for a lethal finisher, our Make Football Great Again podcast with Spanish-American sports journalist and ITV World Cup presenter Semra Hunter, who believes that rather than facing the usual "win or bust" ultimatum, Spain are simply a "beautifully structured" footballing machine primed for another deep run on the world's biggest stage.
