From Johannesburg to New Jersey. From eight world champions in 2010 to another eight in 2026. From Andrés Iniesta’s goal to Ferran Torres’. The two stars that the Spanish national team wears on its jersey have a strong Barça accent. Within a squad full of excellent footballers without a big reputation, except for the bright Lamine Yamal and despite having a Ballon d’Or winner like Rodrigo Hernández, Barça has once again left its mark on a Spanish team that has earned admiration throughout the 38 days of the World Cup.
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The Barça dominance in the 2010 South Africa World Cup was reflected with the presence of Víctor Valdés (the only one who did not play any minutes as he was Iker Casillas’ substitute), Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Pedro Rodríguez, and David Villa, signed from Valencia that same summer. Additionally, all of Spain’s goals in that tournament were scored by Barça players: Villa scored five, Iniesta two, and Puyol one.
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In the final against the Netherlands, seven Barça players were part of the starting eleven. Sixteen years later, against Argentina, three were starters and another three came off the bench: Ferran Torres, Pedri, and Eric Garcia, who made his World Cup debut precisely in the match against the Albiceleste.
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The only Barça player who did not get minutes in the tournament was Joan Garcia, called up by Luis de la Fuente instead of Álex Remiro. As happened in South Africa, several Barça players stood out on their own throughout the tournament. Pau Cubarsí was chosen as the best young player of the World Cup and led, along with Aymeric Laporte, the least-goaled defense in World Cup history. Dani Olmo acted as a link between midfield and attack, also providing two assists. Pedri once again demonstrated his ability to control matches by dominating the ball against France after coming on in the second half and, in the final, took over the game after replacing Fabián Ruiz. Ferran Torres scored the second most important goal in the history of the national team and also set up Mikel Merino’s goal in the round of 16 against Portugal. Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal ended up providing the offensive imbalance Spain needed to become the youngest player in history to win both a European Championship and a World Cup. The winger perfectly represents the promising future awaiting both the Spanish national team and Barça. The eight Barça players who were champions in South Africa had an average age of 26; the eight who lifted the title in 2026 are 23, a figure that also excites Luis de la Fuente and Hansi Flick for the coming years.
The Barça club has contributed 17 players to the Spanish national team in the last women’s and men’s World Cups
A special mention goes to the influence of the Barça club on the women’s national team, current world champions after beating England in the 2023 final with nine Barça players called up. A reality that confirms that Barça is a club of champions.
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