Spain could make World Cup history: The first to win men's and women's trophies back-to-back
Spain's men's national football team is on the verge of making history by potentially winning a World Cup shortly after the women's team victory. The article explores the contrast between the success of the men's program and the historical struggles and underinvestment faced by the women's team.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of sports achievement and systemic gender inequality within national athletic federations.
If the Spanish Men's National Team pulls off a World Cup victory on Sunday , the Spanish football federation would make history as the first to bring home successive World Cup championships on the men's and women's side in the history of the tournament.
The women's team won the 2023 World Cup and will enter next year's tournament in Brazil as defending champions. While the men's team has been a perennial contender, appearing in 17 out of 23 World Cup tournaments, they last won the Trophy back in 2010.
The FIFA Women's World Cup has had a much shorter history than its male counterpart; having started in 1991 compared to 1930 for the men. During that time, it has only had five different champions: the United States, Germany, Norway, Japan and Spain.
Only two of those teams, Germany and Spain, have also won the men's World Cup.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in