Spain's disappointing debut in the World Cup, with a dull draw against Cape Verde (0-0), has generated much more fuss around the national team than in the locker room. While analysts are pulling their hair out over the coach's strategy and the players' execution, the result has been met with surprising naturalness in the camp. Or so it seems after hearing De la Fuente, who said the strategy was correct but that the only thing missing, and in a "strange" way, was the winning goal.

Mariano Rajoy knows what is expected of him and does not hesitate to give it to his followers. "In football, what really matters is scoring more goals than the opponent. If you don't, you lose. Or, at best, you draw." Yes, the former Spanish president returns to sports commentary for the World Cup and, again, in the digital media El Debate, which four years ago — also for the World Cup and, later, for the European Championship — already opened its doors for him to publish his analyses of the Spanish national team's matches. Rajoy does so without pay and, in fact, without writing: he sends audio notes when the matches end so that the media's editors can transcribe them. He did so this Monday after the draw of La Roja against Cape Verde.

Spain, with four Blaugrana players in the starting eleven –Cubarsí, Pedri, Gavi and Ferran–, was unable to break the deadlock (0-0) against Cape Verde, a country with just over half a million inhabitants. Vozinha was the hero for his team against a Spanish side that, even with the introduction of Lamine Yamal twenty minutes from the end, could not change the outcome of the match.

The most important and anticipated sporting event of the year is almost here. On Thursday, June 11th, the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico begins, the first to be contested by 48 national teams (instead of the current 32). Three countries and sixteen cities will host the 104 matches, culminating on Sunday, July 19th (9:00 PM) with the grand final to be played at the MetLife Stadium located in New Jersey (near New York City). This event will mark a generational shift in the world of football, as it will be the last World Cup for Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, and the emergence of new global stars like Lamine Yamal, who will play in his first World Cup.

The absence of Real Madrid players in the Spanish national team squad for the World Cup is not the world turned upside down, even if it seems so, because historically Barça has been the Spanish league team that has contributed the most players to the World Cups played by la roja. In fact, it is the only team in the League that has always had players called up for the World Cups for which Spain has qualified. That the Spanish national team lives off Barça's talent was already clear in 2010, when Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Cesc, Piqué or Puyol were essential to give Spain the World Cup in South Africa.

The Spanish absolute men's coach, Luis de la Fuente, gave this Monday at noon the list of called-up players for Spain for the next football World Cup. The coach of la roja will concentrate in the coming weeks and during the World Cup event a group of players with a notable presence of Catalan players (nine) and from Barça, which is by far the club with the most representation (eight players) in a call-up that for the first time in history has no Real Madrid player. From Atlètic de Madrid, Arsenal and Athletic Club there are three players per team. The rest of the clubs that contribute talent (Chelsea, Manchester City, Osasuna, Celta de Vigo, Reial Societat, PSG, Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace) contribute with a single footballer each.

After a capital victory on the always charged field of Getafe (0-2), Hansi Flick gave his disciples three days off. The Barça coach has taken advantage of the break to spend a few days in Germany with his family. Dani Olmo, Joan Garcia and Eric Garcia have needed less warm clothing, deciding to rent a small boat and get wet in some corner of the Costa Brava. While his teammates enjoyed a well-deserved decompression time, Lamine Yamal began to focus on recovering from the first muscular injury he has suffered as a footballer. He suffered it shortly before halftime during Celta's visit to Camp Nou a week ago. He needed to be substituted just after converting the penalty that meant the goal of a tight victory (1-0). When he shot from eleven meters, he was already injured. The biceps femoris of his left leg had said enough at the moment he dribbled past Yoel Lago in the play that Munuera Montero punished with a penalty.

Successes are not synonymous with impact, a premise that Spanish water polo knows perfectly well. “We are a sport where when a major competition arrives, everyone sees an easy medal, but there isn't much follow-up during the season. We are a country where sports are very powerful and screen time is difficult to obtain, but I think we also have to do some internal self-criticism about why we don't know how to sell our sport more,” analyzes David Martín (Barcelona, 1977), the Spanish men's water polo coach since late 2016. The coach, however, emphasizes that it is not something that worries them. “The guys are clear that we don't train to have more impact, but for our dignity and our ambition.”

The recent visit of the Roja to Catalonia was not a publicity success, to put it mildly. Despite the efforts of the Catalan and Spanish governments, the federative world, and the platforms of Spanish activism, the very sad exhibition of fascist and xenophobic nationalism in the stands of the Cornellà stadium made it clear that the Spanish team, in Catalonia, runs the serious risk of being turned into an icon of the far-right. From a marketing point of view, it is a defeat for the reencuentro that the PSOE and PSC represent. They had a fabulous toy in their hands: a young, talented team full of Catalans sheltered by common symbolism and without competition (because the law prohibits Catalonia from competing officially, and Catalan athletes risk severe sanctions if they refuse to represent the Spanish team). But now, the Roja can go from being a symbol of cool Spanish nationalism to a refuge for torrentismo.States with conflicting identities have understood the usefulness of sport. The efforts that Spain dedicates to it, as a safe haven for patriotism, demonstrate that in Madrid they know that real power does not consist only of money, army, and Penal Code; it is also expressed in visibility and sentiment. In Catalonia, surprisingly, no Catalan party has the issue of sports teams at the top of its priority list, which is perhaps the only loophole that can allow us to exist nationally and be recognized internationally, basic conditions for everything else to come. Instead, we have to settle for playing a friendly against Palestine, with a spotless atmosphere, that's true; but without competitive value, without our stars on the field, and with the suspicion of the stagnant Catalan federative world.While Junts and ERC have the power to influence the socialists, they should play this card strongly, which is the authentic burden of proof of the State's plurality. Sharing competencies and resources is very well, but the true answer to identity diversity is to share, also, symbolic presence. It is very difficult, from the outset, for the PSOE to accept this (as much as amnesty, perhaps). But I would say that Pedro Sánchez is glimpsing that his survival against the PP-Vox bloc depends on a lasting understanding with the defenders of plurinationality.There are ways to tackle the issue avoiding fractures or impossible dilemmas: to begin with, for example, Catalonia could compete in European championships, and integrate into the Spanish team in world or Olympic competitions. Or it could have its own teams in sports with more roots and tradition, such as rugby, hockey, and water polo. I'm just speculating; I don't know enough to say which is the best solution. But I believe that if politicians intend to represent the broad majority of the Catalan population, a hybrid solution of this kind must be reached.We are a country that, despite the recent emergence of the homegrown far-right, has shown great generosity and great flexibility in managing its own diversity. Therefore, those of us who feel nationally Catalan deserve to exist politically – and, therefore, sportingly –. We think that in the next football World Cup, if Spain wins, there will be people celebrating in the streets of Barcelona... but there will also be people celebrating if Argentina wins, or Morocco wins. And the world won't end, because diverse Catalonia is that. But, if it turns out that in Catalonia everyone celebrates their goals except the Catalans, what the hell kind of diversity is that?

Whistles at Egypt's anthem, chants of “Muslim who doesn’t jump!”, insults to Pedro Sánchez and the essential “Spanish Gibraltar!”. What is this if not Torrente going to Cornellà-El Prat yesterday to cheer on the Spanish team?Bring, bring the Spanish team to Catalonia, so that all the Vox voters come out to make racist chants.Racist and stupid. Because, as an Ara reader says today in their comments, “you have to be an idiot to go to see a match of your team, start shouting racist cries and chants, and end up insulting the best player on your own team.” Because, of course, these patriots have forgotten that if there is a player who can decisively contribute to Spain winning the World Cup again one day, it is a player named Lamine Yamal and he is Muslim. Not to mention whistling the Barça goalkeeper and former Espanyol player Joan Garcia on his debut for the national team. And they were not minority chants. At the end of the match, when asked about racism and xenophobia, the coach Luis de la Fuente (the one who applauded Rubiales on the day of “I am not going to resign”) replied that these people, “the further away from society, the better.” Impossible for them to be far away, they are society. They are a fraction of society that has a voice and a vote (Vox in Spain) which is a vote that is very much in line with their voice.

Lamine Yamal has broken his silence over the Islamophobic chants this Tuesday at Cornellà-El Prat, on the occasion of a friendly between Spain and Egypt, with a publication on Instagram. "I know [the chants] were for the opposing team [Egypt], but as a Muslim person it is still a lack of respect and something intolerable [...]. To those who sing these things: using religion as a mockery leaves you as ignorant and racist people," wrote the Barça star and the main star of Luis de la Fuente's team. The footballer left the Espanyol stadium with his head down and without greeting the local fans.

Joan Garcia has debuted with the Spanish national team and has been at the stadium that until last June was his home, the RCDE Stadium. The Spanish men's national team has returned to Catalonia four years later in a friendly against Egypt (0-0). One of the great attractions of the match was knowing whether the blue and red goalkeeper would debut with the senior national team. The Sallent-born player was dropped from the squad last Friday in Vila-real, but came on in the 62nd minute in Cornellà-El Prat with more applause than whistles – despite being booed by some fans during the warm-up due to his past with Espanyol–. Luis de la Fuente was also booed after not calling up Joan Garcia when he was with the white and blue team. If he had been called up before signing for Barça, his release clause would have increased by five million more, up to thirty.

The military escalation between the United States, Israel, and Iran is already impacting the world of sports, just in time for the World Cup. The Qatar Football Association announced on Sunday that it is suspending all competitions in its territory due to the instability in the region. Spain and Argentina were scheduled to play a match, the Finalísima, as European and South American champions, respectively, on March 27. More than 80,000 tickets had been sold for this match, which was to be held at Lusail Stadium, but the event was canceled after drones were seen... Iranians crashed in Qatar, and the match has been suspended. Now FIFA is looking for a new venue for this match between the best teams from Europe and South America.

Lamine Yamal breaks rules, especially on the field, but some believe he also breaks some off it. The Barça player appeared wearing a Spanish national team cap backward at a press conference during the Spanish national team's last training camp. to compete in the Nations League and this one look The seventeen-year-old player's performance didn't please everyone. One person who seems to have been greatly upset, to the point of publicly complaining, is former Real Madrid player José María Gutiérrez. Guti"I think it's the first time I've seen a footballer at a press conference with a cap worn backward. And I don't like that," he said on the television program. The Chiringuito.

After a club season that seemed to go on forever, the Nations League final was decided in agonizing fashion: on penalties and after extra time. A titanic duel between neighbors that crowned Portugal, the first team to win this tournament twice. During the match, neither Lamine nor Pedri managed to shine, caught in Robert Martínez's tactical web. It was a beautiful and even final, in which collective play ruled over individuality. A Diogo Costa save in Morata served to give Martínez his first major international title, a football vagabond who left Balaguer years ago to seek his fortune far away. First in the United Kingdom, then in Belgium, and now in Portugal, where he managed to clip Spain's wings: Neither Nico nor Lamine made a difference.

In the 53rd minute of the second half of the Nations League semi-final, Nico Williams assisted Lamine Yamal, who was awarded a clear penalty by Rabiot. Then, Nico and Oyarzabal looked to the genius from Rocafonda and gave him the ball with a clear message: score the goal and be on your way to the Ballon d'Or. Spain defeated the French with two goals from Lamine in a match where Deschamps' disciples almost overturned a 5-1 deficit, and this Sunday they will try to win the title against Portugal.

Part of the expectation that existed regarding Luis de la Fuente's list for the final four of the Nations League was Iñigo Martínez. Based on his performance, the veteran Barça center-back deserved to be part of the Spanish national team to compete for this official trophy almost a year after winning the last European Championship. In fact, in the previous international call-up, the coach actually called him up, although he asked to be dropped due to physical problems that led Osasuna to raise the issue with the offices for alleged improper selection. Now, De la Fuente has understood the situation and has opted directly for less experienced players, such as Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid's brand new center-back. Although he would take Iñigo because he understands that his season with Barça supports him, he has preferred to save him the inconvenience.

The creation of the Nations League responded to a dual interest: sporting and economic. UEFA saw a business opportunity in launching a new competition in which teams would face each other based on their actual level. It was a way to replace friendlies. Furthermore, since the tournament was managed by UEFA, it was responsible for marketing its image rights in exchange for distributing substantial prizes among the participants. The invention has been a success, and the premise of offering close matches has been fully fulfilled. Three of the four quarterfinal ties have been eliminated. have been resolved in the extension. And in the other, Germany-Italy, it was a matter of a goal that the same didn't happen.

The Spanish men's national soccer team continues its love affair with the Nations League, a competition of which it is the reigning champion. Yesterday, they reached the final four for the third time in a row after defeating the Netherlands in a match that was tight in the first half, hectic in the second half, went into extra time, and was decided on penalties. They struggled and with a bit of luck, yes. But 'la roja' won (3-3, 5-4).

The Spanish men's national soccer team continues its love affair with the Nations League, a competition of which it is the reigning champion. Yesterday, they reached the final four for the third time in a row after defeating the Netherlands in a match that was tight in the first half, hectic in the second half, went into extra time, and was decided on penalties. They struggled and with a bit of luck, yes. But 'la roja' won (3-3, 5-4).