Spain

Spain has been a member of FIFA since its founding in 1904, although the Spanish Football Federation was not established until 1909. The first Spain national football team was created in 1920 to compete the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium. Spain made their debut at the tournament on 28 August 1920 against Denmark, silver medalists at the last two Olympic tournaments. Spain won the match 1–0 and eventually finished with the silver medal.

Spain qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 1934. They defeated Brazil in their first game before losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Italy. The Spanish Civil War and World War II prevented Spain from playing any competitive matches between the 1934 World Cup and the 1950 World Cup qualifiers. At the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Spain topped their group and finished fourth in the tournament. Until 2010, this was Spain's highest finish at the World Cup.

Spain won its first major international title when it hosted the 1964 European Nations' Cup, defeating the Soviet Union 2–1 in the final at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The victory would stand as Spain's lone major title for 44 years. Spain was selected as host of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, reaching the second round and four years later they reached the quarter-finals before a penalty shootout defeat to Belgium. At UEFA Euro 1984, they lost the final against France. Spain reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup. The match became controversial when Italian defender Mauro Tassotti struck Luis Enrique with his elbow inside Italy's penalty area, causing Luis Enrique to bleed profusely from his nose and mouth, but it was not noticed nor sanctioned by referee Sándor Puhl. Had the official awarded a foul, Spain would have received a penalty kick. In the 2002 World Cup, Spain won its three group play matches, then defeated the Republic of Ireland on penalties in the second round. They faced co-hosts South Korea in the quarter-finals, losing in a shootout after having two goals controversially called back for alleged infractions during regular and extra time.

At UEFA Euro 2008, Spain won all their games in Group D. Italy were the opponents in the quarter-finals, where Spain won 4–2 on penalties. They then met Russia again in the semi-finals, beating them 3–0. In the final, Spain defeated Germany 1–0, with Fernando Torres scoring the only goal of the game, as Spain won their first major title since the 1964 European Championship. Xavi was awarded the player of the tournament. The following year the side finished third at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup breaking their 35-match unbeaten streak that began in November 2006 after a loss to the United States. In the 2010 World Cup, Spain advanced to the final for the first time ever by defeating Germany 1–0. In the decisive match against the Netherlands, Andrés Iniesta scored the match's only goal, coming in extra time. Spain became the third team to win a World Cup outside their own continent, and the first European team to do so. They then qualified for UEFA Euro 2012, finishing on top of Group I with a perfect 100% record. They became the first team to retain the European Championship, winning the final 4–0 against Italy, while Fernando Torres won the Golden Boot for top scorer of the tournament.

Spain advanced to the final of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, losing to hosts Brazil, and the following year they were eliminated from the group stage of the 2014 World Cup. At Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, the side were eliminated in the round of 16 in both tournaments, losing to Italy 2–0 and Russia 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. In the UEFA Euro 2020, held in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, Spain made a breakthrough, reaching the last four of a major tournament for the first time since 2012, before losing to eventual champions Italy 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. The team finished the tournament with two wins and four draws (including two penalty shootouts). The same year they managed to reach the Nations League final, losing against France. In the 2022 World Cup, Spain finished second in their group before losing to Morocco 3–0 on penalties after a 0–0 draw, their third consecutive elimination from a major tournament in penalty shootouts.

Spain finished first in their group in UEFA Euro 2024 without conceding a goal, and went on to defeat Georgia in the round of 16 by a score of 4–1. They eventually eliminated hosts Germany in the quarter-finals with a 2–1 win and defeated France in the semi-finals with the same result, qualifying for their fifth European Championship final, where they won their record-breaking fourth European title by defeating England 2–1. Spain became the first team to win all seven matches in a single European Championship tournament, while setting a new record of 15 goals scored in a single European Championship.

Spain continued its success during the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, where they defeated Netherlands in the quarter-finals and then France in the semi-finals, thus reaching their second consecutive UEFA Nations League final and their third overall appearance, with some commentators drawing similarities to Spain's previous "golden age". With their victory over France, Spain extended their undefeated record to 23 matches.