Humility, unity and family: Luis de la Fuente’s recipe for a successful 2026

With just a few hours to go before the arrival of the new year, it is time to take stock of a 2025 that is drawing to a close. For Luis de la Fuente, the foremost feeling that comes from the heart is gratitude toward the fans, who have once again shown that they are the team’s 12th player. This is the team that finished the year unbeaten and continued to extend its dazzling run of 31 official matches without defeat.

For the head coach, there are three aspects that define the journey of the team he leads over the course of the year now ending: humility, unity within the group, and an unbreakable belief in the family that has been forged within the national team. Without this combination, “we would not have reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the FIFA rankings; nor would we have achieved the historic record of 31 official matches unbeaten, or secured qualification for the next World Cup in such brilliant fashion,” De la Fuente concludes.

2026 is knocking at the door, full of challenges and dreams that, hopefully, can become reality over the course of the year. To that end, the coach from La Rioja promises “hard work and commitment” to arrive in the best possible shape for the tournaments awaiting the Spanish national team in the second half of the football calendar: the Finalissima—on March 27 in Doha against Argentina—and the FIFA World Cup—from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. “We face it with passion, responsibility, and the desire to keep growing as a team and as a family.”