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79-684: Football in Germany after the First World War was very regionalised, leading to the top clubs in the German Reich playing in weak local competitions with clubs well below their own strength. Those clubs would then only truly be challenged during the German finals round. Linnemann wished to achieve a concentration of those clubs by forming a Reichsliga , like it existed in other countries, in which those clubs could play together. This however

158-556: A "former West German team" are considered by many as false - according to the DFB, this team still exists, called Germany. Germany's greatest triumphs since 1990 have been winning the 2014 World Championship in Brazil, and the 1996 European Championship secured in England with players from both the former West, including ( Jürgen Klinsmann as captain) and East ( Matthias Sammer ) as anchor of

237-584: A 0–0 draw, to be the third consecutive elimination from a major tournament in penalty shootouts. Spain finished top of their group in UEFA Euro 2024 without conceding a goal, and went on to defeat Georgia in the round of 16 by 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 Championships final. Spain won their record-breaking fourth European title by defeating England 2–1 in

316-505: A key factor in Spain's success in Euro 2008. Aragonés used tiki-taka to "protect a defense that appeared suspect [...], maintain possession and dominate games" without taking the style to "evangelical extremes". None of Spain's first six goals in the tournament came from tiki-taka: five came from direct breaks and one from a set play. For Lowe, Spain's success in the 2010 World Cup was evidence of

395-553: A member of FIFA since its founding in 1904, even though the Spanish Football Federation was first established in 1909. The first Spain national football team was constituted in 1920, with the main objective of finding a team that would represent Spain at the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Belgium in that same year. Spain made their debut at the tournament on 28 August 1920 against Denmark , silver medalists at

474-746: A nationwide league out of question. In any case, such a league would not have been able to be called the Reichsliga anymore, as the German Reich had ceased to exist. With the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, soon requests for the Bundesliga were voiced and a national league was finally established in 1963. Football in Germany Football is the most popular sport in Germany with 57% of

553-591: A rematch of a first-round game, which Hungary had won 8–3. In response to his team's earlier thrashing at the hands of the Hungarians, legendary West German coach Sepp Herberger made key tactical adjustments in his team's lineup prior to the Final. Shortly before the match, it had started raining - in Germany this was dubbed "Fritz-Walter-Wetter" (Fritz Walter Weather) because the German team captain Fritz Walter

632-470: A tournament which included a memorable clash with rival the Netherlands, Germany defeated Argentina , 1–0, on an Andreas Brehme penalty kick, to win its third World Cup title. With its third title (and three second-place finishes), West Germany became the most successful World Cup nation for four years, until Brazil won their fourth championship in 1994. West German team manager Franz Beckenbauer became

711-499: Is Iker Casillas with 167, followed by Sergio Busquets with 143. David Villa holds the title of Spain's highest goalscorer, scoring 59 goals from 2005 to 2017, during which time he played for Spain on 98 occasions. Raúl González is the second highest goalscorer, scoring 44 goals in 102 appearances between 1996 and 2006. Below is a list of the ten players with the most caps for Spain, as of 15 November 2024 . Youngest capped player Oldest capped player Below

790-405: Is "both defensive and offensive in equal measure" – the team is always in possession, so doesn't need to switch between defending and attacking. Commentators have contrasted tiki-taka with " Route One physicality" and with the higher-tempo passing of Barcelona and Arsène Wenger 's 2007–08 Arsenal side, which employed Cesc Fàbregas as the only channel between defence and attack. Tiki-taka

869-432: Is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.    Win    Draw    Loss    Fixture The following 26 players were named in the final squad for 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Denmark and Switzerland on 15 and 18 November 2024, respectively. Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2024, after

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948-458: Is a list of the top ten goalscorers for Spain, as of 18 November 2024 . Youngest goalscorer Oldest goalscorer Most goals scored in a single match First goal scored List of Spain's captains in major tournaments. Although often entering tournaments as one of the favorites, Spain have often been perceived as underachieving at the World Cup. Spain's first World Cup

1027-675: Is associated with flair, creativity, and touch, but can also be taken to a "slow, directionless extreme" that sacrifices effectiveness for aesthetics. Tiki-taka was successfully employed by Spain to win Euro 2008 , the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 . The 2008–12 teams are regarded as being among the greatest of international teams in football history. They have the Barcelona "carousel" of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta augmented by Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso in midfield. Sid Lowe identifies Luis Aragonés ' tempering of tiki-taka with pragmatism as

1106-583: Is crowned the German football champion . Additionally, there are national cup competitions, most notably the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) and DFL-Supercup (German Supercup). The Germany national football team has won four FIFA World Cups ( 1954 , 1974 , 1990 , 2014 ), being the joint-second most successful nation in the tournament only surpassed by Brazil . It also holds three UEFA European Championships ( 1972 , 1980 , 1996 ), behind only Spain , and won

1185-489: Is governed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation , the governing body for football in Spain . Spain is one of eight national teams to have been crowned world champions and has participated in a total of 16 out of 22 FIFA World Cups , winning the 2010 edition, and qualifying consistently since 1978. Spain has participated in a total of 12 out of 17 UEFA European Championships , and are

1264-519: Is identical to the team representing what was informally called West Germany from 1949 to 1990, as the German Football Association was again recognized by FIFA after WW2. Nothing changed in 1990 except enlarged membership due to the access of East German states and players, thus the continuity in the German logo and uniform style as well as references to Germany's four World Cup and three European Cup titles. Thus, all references to

1343-498: Is predominantly yellow, having been white traditionally. The color of the home socks started to alter throughout the 1990s from black to the same blue color as the shorts, then matching either the blue of the shorts or the red of the shirt until the mid-2010s when they returned to their traditional black. Spain's kits have been produced by manufacturers including Adidas (from 1981 until 1983), Le Coq Sportif (from 1984 until 1990) and Adidas once again (since 1991). Rather than displaying

1422-415: Is the most successful European national team of the 21st century. The team's achievements from 2008 to 2012 have led many experts and commentators to consider this era's squads one of the best ever teams in football history. During this period, Spain became the first national team to win three consecutive major titles , including two back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012 , while becoming

1501-464: Is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cup and European Championship. The Germany women's team are also the first to have won a World Cup at senior level, either for men or women, without conceding a single goal, having done so in 2007. Nadine Angerer was the goalkeeper who managed this feat. The national teams play in various stadiums throughout Germany . The cities of Düsseldorf , Munich , Dortmund and Berlin are some of

1580-694: The Oberligas were gradually formed in Allied-occupied Germany , first in the South and Berlin, later in the West and North, too, which had suffered greater damage to its infrastructure through strategic bombing during the war and was consequently slower to rebuild. Travel between occupation zones was difficult and the new leagues followed in their boundaries the limits of the Allied zones, putting

1659-735: The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in the US and the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. The national association is the German Football Association (or Deutscher Fußball-Bund) headquartered in Frankfurt . The DFB was founded in 1900 in Leipzig , by the representatives of 86 clubs. Today, the association has some 31,000 member clubs which field 170,000 teams with over 2 million players: these numbers include 870,000 female members and 8,600 women's teams. With over six million active and passive members,

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1738-620: 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

1817-492: The 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, Spain became world champions for the first time after defeating the Netherlands 1–0 in the final, becoming the eighth country to win the World Cup.   Champions      Runners-up      Third place        Hosts or co-hosts Spain have won the most UEFA European Championships (four titles). La Roja are also

1896-570: The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup . The women's league system has the Frauen-Bundesliga , 2. Frauen-Bundesliga , and Frauen-Regionalliga . The DFB-Pokal Frauen is the main national cup competition. The first football match arguably took place in Braunschweig in 1874. Two schoolteachers, August Hermann and Konrad Koch , initiated the first match after Hermann had obtained a round football from England. In 1875, Koch published

1975-619: The FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017 . The Germany women's national football team has won two FIFA Women's World Cups ( 2003 , 2007 ) and a record eight UEFA European Women's Championships ( 1989 , 1991 , 1995 , 1997 , 2001 , 2005 , 2009 , 2013 ), as well as a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in 2016 . Germany was the first nation to win both the men's and women's World Cup. No country has more combined men's and women's World Cup championships, and only

2054-764: The German Empire met in the restaurant Mariengarten in Leipzig , founding the DFB. The founding meeting was led by E. J. Kirmse, chairman of the Leipziger Fussball Verband (Leipzig Football Association) . Ferdinand Hueppe, representing the DFC Prag , was elected first president of the DFB. Already some years before 1900, associations like the Bund Deutscher Fussballspieler or Deutscher Fussball und Cricket-Bund were founded, but they were limited to smaller areas of

2133-668: The National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise . From 1933 to 1945 the highest level of play in German football was organised in 16 Gauligen , whose winners qualified for the finals in the German championship, held at the end of season. After the war, Germany was occupied in three states. The DFB and its team continued in what was called West Germany , while the Saarland and East Germany fielded separate teams for some years. The FIFA World Cup 1974

2212-621: The Nazis came to power and paid football was moved off the DFB agenda again. From 1933, instead of the Reichsliga , the Nazis introduced 16 regional Gauligas . In 1938 however, the Reichsliga was once more contemplated after the freshly unified German-Austrian team, playing with high expectations at the 1938 FIFA World Cup was a complete disappointment, being knocked out in the first round. The embarrassment to Germany and its Nazi government caused

2291-598: The Rico Pérez in Alicante . Spain's UEFA Nations League , UEFA European Qualifiers and all friendly matches, are televised nationwide by La 1 , flagship television channel of the public broadcaster TVE . Spain has rivalries with the five countries that has faced more times, the other four « Europe's Big Five » nations and with its Iberian neighbor. In order by number of matches, Italy (41), Portugal (40), France (37), England (28) and Germany (27). The following

2370-698: 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 . Also 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 Spain's penalty area, causing Luis Enrique to bleed profusely from his nose and mouth, but it

2449-472: The final and became the first and only team to win all seven matches in a single European Championship tournament. They also set a new record of 15 goals scored in a single European Championship. Spain's team was known in the past by some fans as " La furia española ", ' the Spanish Fury ' ; this nickname was originally given by a Dutch newspaper, recalling the " Sack of Antwerp " – an episode in

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2528-490: The reigning European champions, having won a record fourth title in 2024 . After their victory in the 2023 UEFA Nations League they became the second national team, following France , to win three major titles (World Cup, European Championship and Nations League ). Spain is also one of only two nations alongside Germany , to have won both women's and men's World Cups. Having won one World Cup , one Nations League and three European Championship titles since 2008, Spain

2607-460: The 1934 World Cup and the 1950 edition's qualifiers . At the 1950 finals in Brazil, they topped their group to progress to the finals round, then finished in fourth place. Until 2010, this had been Spain's highest finish in a FIFA World Cup finals. 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

2686-404: The 2010 World Cup , Raphael Honigstein described Spain's tiki-taka style as "the most difficult version of football possible: an uncompromising passing game, coupled with intense, high pressing". For Honigstein, tiki-taka is "a significant upgrade" of the Netherlands' Total Football because it relies on ball movement rather than players switching position. Tiki-taka allowed Spain to "control both

2765-424: The DFB is the world's largest sports federation. The Germany national football team has represented Germany in international football competitions since 1908. It is controlled by the German Football Association (DFB), the governing body of football in Germany. They have won four FIFA World Cups and have been runners up on four occasions. Since the 1954 World Cup , the Germany national team has been outfitted by

2844-494: The DFB, are two-time world champions, having won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003 under past coach Tina Theune-Meyer and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup under current coach Silvia Neid . They are the first women's team to have successfully defended a World Cup. They have also won eight UEFA Women's Championships ( 1989 , 1991 , 1995 , 1997 , 2001 , 2005 , 2009 , 2013 ), which includes six consecutive titles. Germany

2923-575: The FIFA Confederations Cup. Their first appearance came in 2009 as European champions when they won a third place medal. Spain had lost 2–0 to the United States in the semi-finals. At the next edition, Spain qualified as both World and European champions. La Roja reached the final in Brazil, but lost 3–0 to the hosts. Spain made their debut at the 1920 Summer Olympics , where they played their first ever international match,

3002-582: The German Empire, in those cases to areas around Berlin . The first championship beyond municipal areas was held in 1898 from the Verband Sueddeutscher Fussball-Vereine (Association of South German football clubs) , later affiliated with the DFB. The Germany national football team has represented Germany in international football competitions since 1908. It is controlled by the German Football Association (DFB),

3081-519: The German firm adidas . For home games, the German team wears white jerseys, black shorts and white socks in honour of the Prussian colours. Along with black both red and gold, the other two colours of the German flag, have been included in the strip over the years. Traditionally, the Germans have worn green jerseys, white shorts and green socks as their alternate uniform. In recent years, however,

3160-559: The Germans have changed their away uniform to grey in 2002–2003, black in 2004 and recently to red. The Germans wore red as their alternate colour in the 2006 World Cup . The Germany national team during the 2006 World Cup was coached by former captain Jürgen Klinsmann. Since 12 July 2006, former Assistant Coach Joachim Löw has coached the national team. Its current captain is Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer . The German women's national football team, also organised by

3239-643: The Hungarian reporter burst into tears. The game would become known as the "Das Wunder von Bern" (the "Miracle of Bern") in German lore and would be the basis for a successful movie released in 2003. The FIFA World Cup 1974 competition was held in West Germany. Led by legendary libero Franz Beckenbauer, keeper Sepp Maier , playmaker Paul Breitner , and strikers Uli Hoeneß and "Der Bomber" Gerd Müller (Germany's all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 62 games), Germany won its second World Cup by defeating

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3318-600: The Netherlands in the final, 2–1, behind goals by Breitner and Müller. The Final was famous for the battle between Kaiser Franz (Beckenbauer) and King Johann (Cruyff). The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup , was awarded. The previous trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy , was won for the third time by Brazil in 1970 and awarded permanently to the Brazilians. In

3397-735: The United States has won more combined men's and women's regional/continental championships (United States 17 in CONCACAF, Germany 11 in UEFA). Germany was the host of the FIFA World Cup in 1974 and 2006 , the UEFA European Championship in 1988 and 2024 , and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 . They also hosted the 1989 , 1995 and 2001 editions of the UEFA European Women's Championship, as well as

3476-425: The back of the net through short passing and movement", a "short passing style in which the ball is worked carefully through various channels", and a "nonsensical phrase that has come to mean short passing, patience and possession above all else". The style involves roaming movement and positional interchange amongst midfielders , moving the ball in intricate patterns, and sharp, one or two-touch passing. Tiki-taka

3555-408: The ball and the opponent". Spain held possession of ball more than their opponents in all matches from 2008 to 2024, a record of 136 games. We have the same idea as each other. Keep the ball, create movement around and off the ball, get in the spaces to cause danger. Spain's home kit is traditionally a red jersey with yellow trim, dark blue shorts, and black socks, whilst their current away kit

3634-513: The defence. The greatest success for German team in the new millennium has been their winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup . They had also finished in second place to Brazil at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and second place at the 2008 European Championship. There was also a third place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and in addition another third place at World Cup 2010. Germany's women have achieved even greater success, winning both

3713-582: The domestic governing body of Germany's football in Germany. Germany national football team played its first post-WWI match on 27 June 1920 in Zürich against Switzerland, which the Swiss team won 1:4. Club football was centered in the region of Franconia during the 1920s as 1. FC Nürnberg and SpVgg Fürth dominated the competition. In 1919, the proletarian Arbeiter-Turnbund was renamed Arbeiter-Turn- und Sportbund (ATSB). The name change especially reflected

3792-467: The final again until 2008 , where they would defeat Germany 1–0. Four years later, Spain earned back-to-back titles, comprehensively defeating Italy 4–0 in the final in Kyiv. It would take La Roja twelve years to reach another European final, doing so in 2024 against England , a match they won 2–1 to stand alone as the most successful national team in the competition's history with four titles while at

3871-417: The final thanks to another win against Italy. Spain would then beat Croatia on penalties after a 0–0 draw. *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out . After winning their record fourth European title, Spain qualified to their first ever Intercontinental cup. Where they are scheduled to face Argentina, the reigning champions of the 2024 Copa America Spain made two appearances at

3950-547: 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

4029-531: The first European team to win a World Cup held outside of Europe. Also in this period from 2008 to 2013, Spain won the FIFA Team of the Year , the second-most of any nation, behind only Brazil . One year before, from the start of 2007 to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup , Spain achieved 35 consecutive undefeated matches, a feat which they shared with Brazil, and a record for the sport at the time. Spain has been

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4108-639: The first German version of the rules of football , although Koch's version of the game still closely resembled Rugby football . The Dresden English Football Club is considered the first modern football club in Germany and probably the first in continental Europe. It was founded in 1874 by Englishmen living and working around Dresden . In the following 20 years the game achieved a growing popularity. Football clubs were founded in Berlin , Hamburg and Stuttgart . On 28 January 1900, representatives from 86 football clubs from German-speaking areas in and outside

4187-433: 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 2021 UEFA Nations League final , losing against France. In the 2022 World Cup , Spain finished second in their group, then in the round of 16, they lost to Morocco 3–0 on penalties after

4266-400: 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 reached the last 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 COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, Spain made a breakthrough, reaching the last four of a major tournament for

4345-625: The four Spanish cities that have hosted more than 15 national team matches , while also being home to the largest stadiums in the country. Other friendly matches, as well as qualifying fixtures against smaller opponents, are played in provincial stadia. The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign included matches at the Reino de León in León , Los Cármenes in Granada , El Molinón in Gijón , and

4424-524: The four stars above the Germany national team logo on the team's jerseys. Germany hosted the World Cups in 1974 and in 2006. The women's national team has won two FIFA Women's World Cups, commemorated by two stars above the crest on their jerseys. Germany hosted the 2011 Women's World Cup. The Wankdorf Stadion in Bern saw 60,000 people cram inside to watch the Final between West Germany and Hungary ,

4503-510: The incorporation of football into the federation, which promoted leftist political views and attempted to break the monopolisation of football under the umbrella of the DFB. With the rise of Nazism, left-leaning sporting associations such as the ATSB and Rotsport were banned. Communist sporting officials such as Ernst Grube, Reichstag deputy and head of Rotsport, were murdered in concentration camps. The DFB integrated as Fachamt Reichsfußball into

4582-423: The last two Olympic tournaments. Spain managed to win that match by a scoreline of 1–0, eventually finishing with the silver medal. Spain qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 1934, defeating Brazil in their first game and losing in a replay to the hosts and eventual champions Italy in the quarter-finals. The Spanish Civil War and World War II prevented Spain from playing any competitive matches between

4661-501: The latter to approve plans for the consolidation of German football. The Reichsliga or, as an alternative, the reduction of the number of Gauligas from 16 to five was envisioned. The events of the Second World War however put a stop to all these plans and by the time the regime fell in 1945 the number of Gauligas had increased greatly in response to travel difficulties caused by the war and Nazi expansionism. After 1945,

4740-550: The logo of the Spanish Football Federation, Spain's jersey traditionally features the country's coat of arms over the left side. After winning the 2010 World Cup , the World Cup winners badge was added to the right side of the jersey and a golden star at the top of Spain's coat of arms. Spain does not have a designated national stadium . The capital city of Madrid ( Bernabéu and Metropolitano ), Seville ( Pizjuán , Villamarín and La Cartuja ), Valencia ( Mestalla and Orriols ) and Barcelona ( Camp Nou and Montjuïc ), are

4819-439: The match against Switzerland . The following players have also been called up for the team in the last twelve months. Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury Preliminary squad / standby Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue Player retired from the national team Player is serving suspension Sergio Ramos holds the record for most appearances for the Spain's team with 180. In second place

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4898-469: The meeting of two traditions in Spanish football: the "powerful, aggressive, direct" style that earned the silver medal-winning 1920 Antwerp Olympic team the nickname La furia española ( ' The Spanish Fury ' ) and the tiki-taka style of the contemporary Spain's team, which focused on a collective, short-passing, technical and possession-based game. Analyzing Spain's semi-final victory over Germany at

4977-472: The military history of Spain. More modernly, the team is called " La roja ", ' the Red (squad) ' . Between 2008 and 2012, the team played a style of football dubbed 'tiki-taka', a systems approach to football founded upon the ideal of team unity and a comprehensive understanding in the geometry of space on a football field. Tiki-taka has been variously described as "a style of play based on making your way to

5056-437: The more popular locations. FIFA World Cup UEFA European Championship Summer Olympic Games FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Women's World Cup UEFA Women's Championship Summer Olympic Games UEFA Women's Nations League The Germany national football team has won four FIFA World Cups and have been the runners up on four other occasions. The four World Cup championships are commemorated by

5135-432: The nineteenth before halftime, the tide began to turn in the Germans' favor. The second half saw misses from the Hungarian team as well as a disallowed goal from Puskás with 2 minutes left. Rahn then scored again to make the score 3–2. As he was scoring the goal, the popular German reporter Herbert Zimmermann gave the most famous German piece of commentary of all time - "Rahn schiesst - TOR!" ("Rahn shoots - GOAL!") - while

5214-442: The only nation to date to have won consecutive championships. They have hosted the tournament once, in 1964 (one city was used to host games at Euro 2020 ) and have appeared in a total of twelve tournaments. The team won their first international trophy on home soil in 1964, defeating the Soviet Union 2–1. Spain would reach the final twenty years later in 1984 , where they would lose the final to France . Spain would not reach

5293-420: The opponents in the quarter-finals match , which 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. This was Spain's first major title since the 1964 European Championship. Xavi was awarded the player of the tournament. The following year the side finished third at

5372-521: The population declaring interest in watching it. The German Football Association (German: Deutscher Fußball-Bund or DFB ) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members (roughly eight percent of the population) organized in over 31,000 football clubs. There is a league system , with the Bundesliga , 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga on top. The winner of the Bundesliga

5451-534: The same time becoming the first team ever to win all seven matches in a single tournament. Since the inaugural UEFA Nations League , La Roja have remained in League A and have reached the UEFA Nations League Finals on two occasions. At the 2021 Finals , Spain won their semi-final after defeating Italy 2–1 but lost to France in the final. In the following campaign, La Roja would again reach

5530-416: The second footballer, after Mario Zagallo of Brazil, to become World Champion as a player (in 1974) and as team manager. In doing so, Beckenbauer also became the first captain of a winning team to later manage a winning squad. The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was held in the United States (changed from China due to the SARS epidemic) and won by Germany, who defeated Sweden by 2–1 in extra time. Earlier in

5609-458: The semifinals they had disposed of the defending champions and hosts, the United States , 3–0. Germany hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup . Thirty-two nations competed in the tournament, with matches played in a dozen cities ranging from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south; Leipzig was the only former East city to hold matches (the matches at Berlin were held at former West Berliner territory). The opening match ( Germany vs Costa Rica )

5688-742: The shootout 5–3. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 in the third place play off at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart on 8 July. Miroslav Klose won the Golden Boot for the highest goalscorer of the tournament with 5 goals. Lukas Podolski received the Best Young Player Award . The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup was held in China and won by Germany, who became the first women's team to successfully defend

5767-483: The title. In the opening match in Shanghai , Germany beat Argentina by a record 11–0. Nadine Angerer , the key goalkeeper, went unbeaten the entire tournament. In the final at Shanghai, Germany beat Brazil , 2–0. Spain national football team The Spain national football team ( Spanish : Selección Española de Fútbol ) has represented Spain in men's international football competitions since 1920. It

5846-611: Was held on 9 June in the Allianz Arena in Munich , with Germany defeating Costa Rica 4–2. The final match took place in Olympiastadion Berlin one month later between Italy and France . The match was drawn 1–1 at full-time and after extra time. Zinedine Zidane was controversially sent off for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi with 10 minutes to go before the match went into penalties. France lost to Italy in

5925-459: Was in 1934 . At that World Cup, Spain started their campaign by defeating Brazil 3–1 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they lost to hosts Italy in a replay. Before Spain's success in 2010, their best result came in 1950, where they reached the last four. Spain were paired with the hosts Brazil, as well as Uruguay and Sweden. Spain managed a draw against Uruguay but defeats from Brazil and Sweden meant that Spain would end up in fourth place. At

6004-636: 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

6083-406: Was said to play his best in rainy weather. The Final saw the legendary Ferenc Puskás playing even though he was not fully fit. Despite this he put his team ahead after only 6 minutes and, with Zoltán Czibor adding another two minutes later, it seemed destined that the pre-tournament favourites would take the title. However, with a goal from Max Morlock on the tenth minute and Helmut Rahn on

6162-614: Was staged in West Germany, and both German teams were drawn in the same group in the first round. Meeting on 22 June 1974 in a politically charged match in Hamburg, East Germany beat West Germany 1–0, on a goal by Jürgen Sparwasser . Both German teams advanced to the second round anyway. The GDR team was eliminated there, while the DFB team eventually went on to win the tournament. In the year of German reunification (1990), West Germany secured its third World Cup as West and East Germans celebrated together. The present-day Germany national team

6241-457: Was vetoed by the powerful regional associations in 1932. The discussion about the Reichsliga went hand in hand with the question of professionalism in Germany, with the DFB being a strong advocate for keeping the game amateur in the country. In October 1932 however, the federation made a sudden, unexpected turnaround and legalised professionalism. Before steps could be taken, in January 1933,

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