🇪🇸 Spain
Europe · FIFA ESP
Key Statistics
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: Spain is the inventor of "tiki-taka," a style of play that consists of passing the ball sideways 1,000 times without ever shooting. They have successfully turned football into a cure for insomnia, boring opponents and fans to death.
When it works, they look like geniuses; when it doesn't, they lose to defensive teams after holding 85% possession. A team that treats scoring goals as a secondary goal to completing passes.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Canada / Mexico / United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 🏆 |
| 2022 | Qatar | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 4 | — |
| 2018 | Russia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 5 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | — |
| 2010 | South Africa | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 🏆 |
| 2006 | Germany | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 9 | — |
| 2002 | Korea, Japan | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 12 | — |
| 1998 | France | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | — |
| 1994 | United States | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 8 | — |
| 1990 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 7 | — |
| 1986 | Mexico | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 9 | — |
| 1982 | Spain | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | — |
| 1978 | Argentina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — |
| 1966 | England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — |
| 1962 | Chile | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 1950 | Brazil | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 10 | — |
| 1934 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | — |
| Total | 17 editions | 70 | 35 | 12 | 23 | 113 | 76 | 117 | 🏆×2 |
World Cup Appearances
1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
Spain has a population of 47.9M and an estimated GDP of $1.6T. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 2.36 | #20 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 2.44 | #21 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 0.73 | #17 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | 0.42 | #5 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.07 | #35 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.07 | #29 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.02 | #28 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | 0.01 | #5 / 84 |