Spain, coached by Luis de la Fuente, has eight Barcelona players in its squad: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal. Their reward is a semi-final clash against France, led by Jules Kounde.
A streak dating back to 2010
The last World Cup final without a Barcelona representative occurred in 2006, when Italy defeated France in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.
That summer, Barcelona signed two players who had featured in the final: Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta. Since then, the Catalan club has been represented in every World Cup final.
Barcelona contributed eight members of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in 2010 as La Roja defeated the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time. Those players were Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez, and David Villa.
Moving to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano represented Argentina in the final against Germany. The German national team emerged victorious after extra time with a 1-0 win. Their assistant coach at the time was Hansi Flick, who is now the Barcelona manager.
Four years later in Russia, Barcelona were again represented as Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele helped France win the World Cup against Ivan Rakitic’s Croatia. The streak continued in Qatar in 2022, where Dembele and Jules Kounde represented Barcelona in the final.
Five consecutive finals
With Spain now through to the semi-finals, where they will face France, Barcelona has officially secured representation in five consecutive World Cup finals, extending a remarkable run that began in 2010.
The exact number of Barcelona players in this year’s final will depend on the outcome of the first semi-final, scheduled for July 14 in Dallas, where Spain faces France.
Barcelona could even end up with players representing both finalists. On the opposite side of the draw, England features Barcelona forward Anthony Gordon and faces Norway in the remaining quarter-final as they bid to reach the last four.
If England progresses through both the quarter-finals and semi-finals, Barcelona could again have players on both sides of the World Cup final, ensuring a prominent presence on football’s biggest stage.
