lKolkata: Spain defeated Lionel Messi’s Argentina 1-0 in final of FIFA World Cup 2026 with help of Ferran Torres’ goal in 106th minute. This was their second title since 2010 where they defeated Netherlands 1-0 with help of Andres Iniesta’s goal in 116th minute.
This historic campaign of 2026 has drawn many similarities and strange coincidences with that of 2010 one. Let’s take a look
(1) 8 Barcelona Players in squad –
Spain had 8 Barcelona players in their squad of 2010. They’re Víctor Valdés(Goalkeeper)Gerard Piqué (Defender),Carles Puyol(Defender), Sergio Busquets (Midfielder), Xavi Hernández (Midfielder), Andrés Iniesta (Midfielder), Pedro Rodríguez (Forward) and David Villa (Forward).
In 2026 , Spain had 8 Barcelona players too. They’re Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Joan Garcia, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Eric Garcia, and Pau Cubarsí.
(2) Barcelona player scored goal in Added Extra time
In 2010, Spanish legend Andres Iniesta scored goal in the Added Extra Time (2010). He played for Barcelona at that time.
Fast forward in 2026, Ferran Torres, who is also currently a Barcelona player scored goal for Spain in Added Extra Time (106th minute).
(3) Identical scorecard in final and same number of wins
In 2010 Spain defeated Netherlands 1-0 in the final. The 2026 also saw Spain win with similar margin of 1-0 against Argentina. In both campaigns, Spain won a total of 6 matches.
(4) Euro Champion just before World Cup
Before the 2010 World Cup, Spain clinched Euro Cup 2008 defeating Germany 1-0.
Similarly, in 2024 Euro Cup, which was just before FIFA World Cup 2026, Spain defeated England 2-1 in the final. In both World Cups right after the Euro, Spain won.
(5) Spain could not win the opening game
Spain’s first match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a shocking 1-0 defeat to Switzerland on June 16, 2010. However they eventually went on to win the World Cup despite the setback.
In 2026, Spain could not defeat debutant Cape Verde and ended with 0-0 draw. However, just like 2010, they emerged victorious.
(6) Spain drawn in Group H
Spain in both winning campaigns of 2010 and 2026 were drawn in Group H.
In 2010, Spain were grouped with Switzerland, Honduras, Chile in Group H. In 2026, Spain were again grouped in Group H with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. Group H is the lucky code?
(7) Real Madrid had trophyless season and appointed Jose Mourinho as Manager
José Mourinho was officially appointed as the head coach of Real Madrid on May 31, 2010, signing a four-year deal. He was brought in to replace Manuel Pellegrini. Real Madrid had trophyless season in 2009- 2010, suffering early exits in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, and finishing as La Liga runners-up with 96 points to arch-rivals Barcelona. This failure led to the sacking of manager Manuel Pellegrini and the hiring of José Mourinho.
In 2026 Mourinho was again appointed as Real Madrid head coach in June 11, 2026 on 3 years deal. Real Madrid officially concluded the 2025–2026 campaign without winning a single major team trophy. The club failed to capture La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Champions League. In both cases Spain won the World Cup.
(8) Barcelona won both La Liga and Spanish Super Cup
Barcelona won both the 2009–10 La Liga title and the 2010 Supercopa de España.In La Liga, they finished the 2009–10 season with 99 points. To claim the 2010 Super Cup, Barcelona played against Sevilla (the Copa del Rey winners) in a two-legged tie. After losing the first leg 3-1 in Seville, Barcelona rallied for a 4-0 victory in the second leg at the Camp Nou to secure a 5-3 aggregate win. Spain won the World Cup in that year.
Similarly, Barcelona won the 2025–26 La Liga title, finishing at the top of the league standings with 94 points, 8 points clear of runners-up Real Madrid. They also secured the 2026 Spanish Super Cup in January with a 3–2 victory over Real Madrid in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In this case too, Spain emerged as World Cup champion.
(9) Same opening game on same day
In 2010 World Cup , host South Africa and Mexico faced each other and ended in a 1-1 draw. Siphiwe Tshabalala opened the scoring for South Africa in the 55th minute, and Rafael Márquez equalized for Mexico in the 79th minute. The date was 11th June, 2010. Spain emerged as World Cup champion.
In 2026, host Mexico faced South Africa in opening game on the same date of 11th June. Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0. The historic match took place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with Raúl Jiménez securing an emotional goal to help Mexico win their opening game of a World Cup for the first time. Spain emerged as World Cup winners this time too.
(10) Marcelo Bielsa faced Spain in Group stage
One of the influential coaches in Football history Marcelo Bielsa faced Spain in the group stage of both the 2010 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, with Spain winning 2 – 1 in 2010 (while Bielsa managed Chile) and 1 – 0 in 2026 (while he managed Uruguay). In both of those tournament runs, Spain defeated Bielsa’s squad to close out the group stage on their way to ultimately winning the World Cup.
(11) EA Sports predicted Spain as winners
EA Sports officially predicted Spain to win both the 2010 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, and both predictions turned out to be 100% correct.By running full video game tournament simulations using its football engine, EA Sports has achieved a flawless five-tournament streak of predicting the men’s World Cup champion.
(12) Defeated Portugal in Round of 16 with identical scoreline
Spain defeated Portugal in the Round of 16 at both the 2010 and 2026 World Cups, winning by an identical 1-0 scoreline.
In 2010 in South Africa, Spain advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to a winning goal by David Villa. They went on to win the entire tournament.In 2026, the two Iberian rivals met once again in the Round of 16, with Mikel Merino scoring a late stoppage-time winner to eliminate Portugal.
(13) Australia defending champion of Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup
Australia were defending champion of ICC ODI Men’s World Cup in 2010 having won 2007 edition defeating Sri Lanka in final. Similarly, they’re defending champion in 2026 having clinched the 2023 edition defeating India in final. In both cases Spain won the FIFA World Cup.
(14) Shakira the lucky charm
Pop star Shakira provided the global musical entertainment for both tournaments—singing Waka Waka in 2010 and performing Dai Dai during the 2026 edition. In both cases Spain emerged victorious.
The year 2010 and 2026 thus were magical for Spain accompanied by magical similarities and coincidences. It was like the divine beings of Football wanted the Spanish side to win and pave way for next generation to go forward.
