Spain on the threshold of immortality: 2030 could change history forever

Manos Staramopoulos • 22 de julio de 2026

Four years to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, with Spain as host and winning the 2026 World Cup.

The second star is not just another decoration on the Spanish jersey. It is the seal of a generation that managed to turn talent into dominance and vision into history. The 1-0 victory over Argentina in extra time in the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey did not just give "La Roja" another trophy. It presented them with two challenges that few national teams have dared to face and even fewer have managed to conquer.


The first concerns absolute football immortality. History knows only two national teams that have successfully defended their world title. First was Italy, which, led by the incomparable Giuseppe Meazza and important figures such as Enrique Guaita, won the 1934 and 1938 World Cups in succession, establishing a legend that has stood the test of time.


It took two decades for the next dynasty to emerge. The Brazil of Pele, Garrincha and Vava enchanted the world with their football and lifted the trophy in 1958 and 1962. The then young Edson Arantes do Nascimento, just 17 years old in Sweden, proved that genius knows no age and was destined to become the greatest symbol in the history of the sport. Today, Spain is called upon to stand alongside these two sacred figures of world football, claiming a place in the same pantheon.


The second challenge is of a different nature, but equally historic. Since 1998, when Zinedine Zidane’s France lifted the trophy in Paris, no host country has managed to be crowned world champions. 

The events that followed in South Korea and Japan, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Qatar, and the triple World Cup of the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, have confirmed this peculiar tradition.


And yet, history reminds us that home field was once an advantage. Uruguay inaugurated the institution in 1930 by winning the trophy in Montevideo. Italy followed in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978 and, finally, France in 1998. Since then, the top has been steadily slipping away from the hosts.


In 2030, however, a new chapter may be written. With Spain co-hosting the World Cup with Portugal and Morocco, and the centenary celebrations taking place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, Luis de la Fuente's team will have the opportunity to chase not only another title, but also two historic milestones: becoming the third national team to win two consecutive World Cups and, at the same time, breaking the "curse" of the organizing countries, returning the global triumph to the host country after more than three decades. Then, the second star will not just be a glorious memory, but the starting point of a football dynasty.


Manos Staramopoulos

Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs

Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com

Arthens (Greece).

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