FC Barcelona will once more have a representative in a FIFA World Cup final, following Spain’s 2-1 victory over Belgium in the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament.
This outcome ensures that at least one player from Barcelona will participate in the final, which is set to take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.
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Spain, led by coach Luis de la Fuente, boasts eight Barcelona players in their squad:
Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal. They will face a semi-final match against
Jules Kounde‘s
France.
A Streak Since 2010
The last time a World Cup final took place without a Barcelona representative was in Germany 2006, when
Italy triumphed over France in a dramatic penalty shootout after ending the match 1-1.
That same summer, Barcelona added two players who had played in the final: Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta. Since then, the Catalan club has been present in every World Cup final.
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In the 2010 World Cup, Barcelona contributed eight players to Spain’s championship squad, as La Roja defeated the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time.
Iniesta scored the decisive goal for Spain in 2010. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
The players in question included Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez, and David Villa.
Fast forward to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano represented Argentina in the final against
Germany.
The German national team emerged victorious after extra time, winning 1-0. Notably, their assistant coach at that time was Hansi Flick, who is now the manager of Barcelona.
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In Russia, four years later, Barcelona was once again represented, with Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele playing pivotal roles in France’s victory over
Ivan Rakitic‘s
Croatia.
This streak continued in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Dembele and Kounde again represented Barcelona in the final.
Five Consecutive Finals
Olmo’s Spain will compete against Kounde’s France in the semi-final. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
With Spain advancing to the semi-finals to take on France, Barcelona continues to have representation in five consecutive World Cup finals, extending a remarkable streak that began in 2010.
The exact number of Barcelona players in this year’s final will depend on the result of the first semi-final, scheduled for July 14 in Dallas, where Spain faces France.
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Barcelona may even have players on both finalist teams.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket,
England, featuring Barcelona’s
Anthony Gordon, is set to face
Norway in the remaining quarter-final as they fight for a spot in the final four.
Should England successfully navigate through both the quarter-finals and semi-finals, Barcelona could again place players on both sides of the World Cup final, securing a significant presence on the sport’s biggest stage.