(Reuters) – Following is a statbox on Spain at the World Cup.
FIFA Ranking: 7
Odds: 8-1
Previous tournaments:
Spain made their World Cup debut in Italy in 1934 and have appeared in every tournament from 1978. They won the trophy in 2010 to join seven other nations that have won at least one title along with Brazil (5), Germany (4), Italy (4), Argentina (2), France (2), Uruguay (2) and England (1). Since lifting the trophy, they were knocked out in the group stage in 2014 and in the last-16 in 2018.
How they qualified:
Spain had to wait until their last group game to seal their World Cup qualification, winning 1-0 at home against Sweden to finish top of Group B on 19 points, four ahead of the Swedes in second place in a group that also included Greece, Georgia and Kosovo.
Form guide:
After reaching the Euro 2020 semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Italy in a penalty shootout, and losing the Nations League final to France three months later, Spain beat Portugal 1-0 to qualify for the Nations League final four for the second consecutive year.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Toby Davis)
