How Spain bounced back from Olympic and Euros disappointment to show why they should be Women's World Cup favourites

A lot has changed in Spain since the Euros. Most notably, Montse Tome, whose qualities as a coach were questioned throughout her tenure, left her role shortly after the tournament, with Sonia Bermudez, the former Barcelona forward, taking the baton. Also worth mentioning is one experienced star she recalled: Mapi Leon, the world-class centre-back who had not played for her country since the high-profile player protest that followed Euro 2022.

The defender's impact upon returning was tangible as Bermudez guided Spain to Nations League glory back in December, with La Roja keeping four clean sheets across the two-legged ties with Sweden and Germany to win the title emphatically. Beating the latter 3-0 in the second leg of the final, in front of a record home crowd of 55,843 in Madrid, Alexia Putellas declared it "one of the best nights of my career".

Spain had to play that last game, which they needed to win after drawing 0-0 in Kaiserslautern, without Bonmati, too. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner, who picked up her third Golden Ball in a row just a few weeks prior, suffered a fractured fibula in between the two legs of the Nations League final. It's an injury that would require surgery and has kept her sidelined ever since. It's possible she does not play again this season, even though a return shortly before its end is possible.

"Absences like Aitana's can unsettle you because no one likes seeing a team-mate hurt or injured," Irene Paredes, the Spain captain who also plays with Bonmati at Barcelona, said at the time. However, La Roja have dealt impressively well without her world-class qualities, both in that Nations League final and in the two World Cup qualifying wins that have followed.

That is, of course, because Spain's squad as a whole is phenomenal. It would be better with a player like Bonmati, sure, but it is still among the deepest and best in the international women's game while she recovers. Just in the midfield, Patri Guijarro has been in superb form since returning from injury in January, while Alexia Putellas is enjoying a season worthy of her own third Ballon d'Or. The Barca star has 20 goals and 11 assists so far this term and can further strengthen her case for the accolade on some huge stages in the coming weeks, not least in the Champions League semi-finals.

Further forward, Mariona Caldentey, runner-up in the Ballon d'Or last year, has once again played a prominent role in Spain's attack, while Claudia Pina has only continued her exceptional form from last season with what has arguably been an even better campaign to date for the 24-year-old.

And all of that is to only scratch the surface when it comes to the quality at Bermudez's disposal.

Particularly exciting over the last few months has been the way that several young talents have stepped up in this Spain squad, too. Vicky Lopez, for example, took Bonmati's place in the starting line-up for the home leg of the Nations League final and she repaid Bermudez's faith with the second goal in the 3-0 win that clinched the title.

As World Cup qualifying has begun, and kinder fixtures against teams like Ukraine and Iceland have come up on the calendar, Bermudez has leaned into the pipeline further. Having coached throughout the youth set-up, the 41-year-old is well-aware of just how good the teams feeding into La Roja are, and she has acted to promote the likes of Aiara Agirrezabala and Clara Serrajordi, who both ranked in the top 10 in GOAL's 2026 Women's NXGN list, into her squad. Serrajordi in particular was impressive when given a first start against Ukraine last month, having also shown maturity beyond her years in a 25-minute cameo against Sweden in October.

Other new names like Edna Imade, the 25-year-old Bayern Munich forward who has two goals in four caps, and Lucia Corrales, who left Barcelona for London City Lionesses for a significant fee in the summer, have broken into the squad on a regular basis and freshened things up.

It means that, while featuring some new and different faces, the majority of what has made this Spain side so good remains and has allowed them to bounce back from last summer's heartbreak. This is a squad packed with top-quality, lots of experience and a pipeline of young talent, all of which has allowed La Roja to excel despite wavering circumstances with player absences, injuries to key names and coaching controversies in the last few years.

Could Bermudez offer a different story when it comes to the latter? There was skepticism when she came in, given her lack of senior managerial experience, but the way she acclimatised in the Nations League finals was impressive. Does that bode well for the future? We'll only learn more with each passing game and Tuesday's clash with England would be a great test for her to pass in order to prove herself further.

Spain's trip to London is a great chance for the team as a whole, too. Revenge is probably too strong a word for what is on offer, given three points in a World Cup qualifier cannot hold a candle to the title the Lionesses got for beating La Roja in the Euro 2025 final last summer. But there will be an opportunity to dish out some form of retribution, especially given England were also victorious when these two last met on Wembley's hallowed turf in a Nations League fixture, though that campaign would end with Spain winning the title while the Lionesses once again failed to qualify for the finals.

The ebbs and flows of this fixture, its usual high stakes and the fact these two sides are the best in Europe is all helping to create something of a rivalry between England and Spain, the kind of non-geographical one that fascinates and intrigues, especially in international football.

In its latest edition, the Lionesses will be out to remind everyone why it was they who prevailed in that Euro 2025 final. But Spain are the reigning world champions, having got the better of England in the 2023 Women's World Cup final, and they have a huge opportunity here to remind everyone why it should be they who are the favourites to come out on top again in 2027.

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