How many World Cups have Spain won? Documenting their performances over the years

Can Luis Enrique guide Spain to yet another World Cup win?

Only eight countries have gone on to lift the FIFA World Cup so far, and Spain happens to be one of them. They have participated in the marquee event on 16 occasions till now.

La Rojas have qualified for the Qatar World Cup after topping their group in the qualifiers with 19 points from eight matches. They have been drawn in Group E along with Germany, Japan, and the eventual winner of the Inter-Continental Playoff 2 winner.

How many FIFA World Cups have Spain won?

Spain have won the World Cup only once in 2010. They defeated Netherlands 1-0 in the final with Andreas Iniesta scoring the winner late into extra time.

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When did Spain make their FIFA World Cup debut?

Spain made their World Cup debut back in 1934. 16 teams qualified for the final tournament and it was held in a knockout format. In the very first round, they ousted Brazil after defeating them 3-1. In the quarterfinals, they met Italy. Luis Regueiro gave them the lead but their advantage did not last long as Giovanni Ferrari scored for Italy just before half-time. The two teams could not be separated after the first match and a replay was organised.

Spain missed their number one goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora due to injury and uncapped keeper Juan Jose Nogues took his place. Within the first five minutes, Crisant Bosch was left injured after a harsh tackle from Eraldo Monzeglio and Spain had to play the remaining match with just 10 players as no substitution was permitted. Giuseppe Meazza scored soon after which turned out to be the eventual winner.

Spain's 2010 FIFA World Cup triumph

The 2008 Euro champions were emphatic favourites before the start of the World Cup. However, in the very first match, they suffered a shock defeat to Switzerland. Gelson Fernandes scored early in the second half and even though coach Vicente del Bosque brought on Fernando Torres, Jesus Navas and Pedro, his troops could not find the equaliser.

In the second match, they steadied their ship with a 2-0 victory over Honduras, courtesy of a brace from David Villa. Whereas, in the final group game they beat Chile 2-1 to finish as table-toppers.

In the Round of 16, they faced Portugal at the Cape Town Stadium. David Villa scored the solitary goal of the match in the 63rd minute. However, it was a contentious one as repays showed that Villa was in an offside position while the pass was made.

In the quarterfinals, Spain clashed with Paraguay. After a drab first 45 minutes, the two teams sprung to action in the second half. Oscar Cardozo saw his penalty saved by Iker Casillas, whereas Xabi Alonso's attempt from 12 yards was also stopped at the other end. However, it was Villa once again who came to the rescue and scored the winner in the 82nd minute.

In the last four, Spain defeated Germany 1-0 with Carles Puyol scoring from a corner to set up a summit clash with Netherlands.

In the final, both teams created a flurry of chances throughout the 90 minutes but none were taken. John Heitinga received his second yellow in extra time which left Netherlands with 10-men on the pitch. Spain started attacking with more teeth and finally, in the 116th minute, Iniesta latched on to a ball from Cesc Fabregas and found the far corner to score the winner, which gave Spain their first and only World Cup trophy.

Spain's record in FIFA World Cups

Year	Finish	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA
1934	Quarter-finals	3	1	1	1	4	3
1950	Semi-finals	6	3	1	2	10	12
1962	Group Stage	3	1	0	2	2	3
1966	Group Stage	3	1	0	2	4	5
1978	Group Stage	3	1	1	1	2	2
1982	Second group stage	5	1	2	2	4	5
1986	Quarterfinals	5	3	1	1	11	4
1990	Round of 16	4	2	1	1	6	4
1994	Quarterfinals	5	2	2	1	10	6
1998	Group Stage	3	1	1	1	8	4
2002	Quarterfinals	5	3	2	0	10	5
2006	Round of 16	4	3	0	1	9	4
2010	Champions	7	6	0	1	8	2
2014	Group Stage	3	1	0	2	4	7
2018	Round of 16	4	1	3	0	7	6
Total	One Title	63	30	15	18	99	72