Global InformationFootball in Spain information
| Football in Spain | |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Governing body | RFEF |
| National team(s) | Spain |
| First played | 1890 |
| Registered players | 1,063,090 |
| Clubs | 21,148 |
National competitions | |
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Club competitions | |
List
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International competitions | |
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Football is the most popular sport in Spain. Spain has some of the most influential teams in Europe (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, and others) as well as many players (mostly unprofessional) and teams registered in all categories (1,063,090 players in 21,148 clubs).[1] Moreover, football is the sport that interests the majority of Spanish people (48%) and a total of 67% of the population said they were fans of or had a liking for a particular club.
In a survey of the sports habits of the Spanish population made in 2010, football was ranked as the second most popular recreational sport practiced by the population (17.9%). 75.9% said they had purchased tickets to a football match. In addition, 67.3% of the people said they saw all, almost all, many, or some of the football matches broadcast on television.[2] In another survey undertaken in 2014, football practice decreased to 14% of the population, being overtaken by other sports such as running,[3] cycling,[4] and swimming for recreation. However, in this survey, football was still the sport that interested the most of Spain's people (48%). 67% of the population said they were fans of or sympathized with a particular club. In addition, 74.9% said they watched, whenever possible, the matches broadcast on television regarding their favourite teams, and 42.4% had flags, badges, or objects of their favourite teams. Data from this survey confirmed the widespread impression that most of Spain's people are supporters of Real Madrid (32.4%) or FC Barcelona (24.7%), and the other teams have fewer supporters nationwide, such as Atlético de Madrid (16.1%), Valencia CF (3.5%), Athletic Bilbao (3.3%), or Sevilla FC (3.2%).[5]
A relationship between football, politics, intercultural relations, identity, and attitudes toward regionalism in Spain has also been reported.[6][7][8][9][10]
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (Spanish: Real Federación Española de Fútbol) – the country's national football governing body – organizes two Cup competitions: the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España. The Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) (English: Professional Football League), integrated by a total of 42 football clubs, forms part of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) but has autonomy in its organization and functioning. It is responsible for organising state football leagues in coordination with RFEF.[11]
The Spain national football team once won the FIFA World Cup and succeeded in the UEFA European Championship and the Olympic tournament. The biggest success achieved by the national team was the historic treble of winning tournaments in a row: the UEFA European Championship in 2008,[12] the FIFA World Cup in 2010, and the UEFA European Championship in 2012.[13][14][15][16] They also won the UEFA Cup in 1964.[17] The Spain women's national football team became world champions following their victory in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup,[18] therefore making Spain only the second nation after Germany to win both the men's and women's senior World Cup.[19] In all categories, Spain's men's national teams have won 26 titles in FIFA, UEFA, and Olympic tournaments within the European continent and beyond.[20][21] In qualifying for the UEFA championships, the team ranked highest in the number of shots (227) and possession (70%) and completed with the highest pass percentage (91%) out of all qualifying teams. The team was also the first to retain the Henri Delaunay trophy.[22]
The First Division of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional – commonly known in the English-speaking world as La Liga – is one of the strongest football leagues in both Europe and the world.[23][24][25] At the club level, Spanish football clubs have won a total of 66 international tournaments.[26][27][28][29] They are the most successful in different current European competitions, such as UEFA Champions League,[30] UEFA Super Cup,[31] and UEFA Europa League;[32] and were also the most successful in the extinct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[29]
During its most successful time, Tiki-taka was the characteristic football style of play developed by the Spain national football team (and at the club level, by FC Barcelona). This football style is characterized by possessing the ball for large portions of the game and moving the ball quickly from one player to the next, with short and quick passes, keeping the ball away from the opponent, and then delivering an incisive pass to score a goal.[33][34]
Professional football in Spain is a sociocultural event that significantly contributes to the Spanish economy in terms of demand and supply. In economic terms, during 2013, professional football generated more than €7.6 billion, including direct, indirect, and induced effects, representing 0.75% of the Spanish GDP.[35] Moreover, due to the financial crisis in the last few years, many Spanish football clubs in the top two divisions have been facing severe economic troubles due to paying bank debts. In addition, the European Union authorities have warned the Spanish authorities to halt public funding of debt-ridden clubs.[36]
Spain's national futsal team is one of the strongest teams in the world, being six times champion in the UEFA Futsal Championship and two times champion in the FIFA Futsal World Championship.[21]
- ^ "Memory 2019. Licensing and clubs (Document in Spanish)" (PDF). Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD)(Sports Council). Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Sports habits IV. Study number 2,833. March-april 2010 (Document in Spanish)" (PDF). Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Centre for Sociological Research). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "Running's popularity in Spain 1996-2019". Statista. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ "Discover Cycling". www.spain.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020.
- ^ Asociación para la Investigación de Medios de Comunicación. "El Real Madrid: líder en afición y venta de productos". Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Spanish football: Well red". The Economist. 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ James Lawton. "La Roja: a journey through Spanish football, by Jimmy Burns". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ Sid Lowe (26 March 2001). "Morbo: The story of Spanish football by Phil Ball (London: WSC Books,2001)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ Aakriti Mehrotra (22 May 2014). "Fascism & Football: The political history of Spanish football". Outside of the boot. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ Austin Esecson; Remy Lupica; Neel Muthama (14 December 2009). "El Clasico as Spanish History". Soccer Politics Pages, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "La Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP)". LaLiga. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "Euro 2008: All You Need to Know". www.uefa.com. 13 July 2021. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021.
- ^ Graham Hunter (15 November 2013). "Spain: the inside story of La Roja's historic treble – extract | Football". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ Ahmed, Rizwan (28 June 2011). "The Success Of Spain: A Lesson For Every Football Nation". Thehardtackle.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ Tim Vickery. "Tim Vickery: Spain success built on clear football identity". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ Paul Wilson (5 November 2011). "How England could learn from Spain's approach to youth | Football". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "EURO 1964: all you need to know". UEFA. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021.
- ^ "España toca el cielo". Marca (in Spanish). 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Photos: Spain win first Women's World Cup, beating England 1-0". Al Jazeera. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Associations. Spain. Association Information. Real Federación Española de Fútbol. Honours". FIFA. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Spain. Royal Spanish Football Federation. Spanish health good from top to bottom. Honours by National Teams". UEFA.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "Spain v Sweden facts". UEFA. June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021.
- ^ "UEFA ranking for club competitions". UEFA. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Andy Mitten. "La Liga tops Premier League as Spain's European superiority continues". ESPN. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ "The strongest national league of the world". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ "Spain. Royal Spanish Football Federation. Honours by Clubs". UEFA.org. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "International Club Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "FIFA Club World Championship". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Fairs' Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "European Champions' Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "European Super Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "UEFA Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "Tiki Taka Football (The Barcelona style of play)". Soccer Training Info. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ James Vaughan. "Creative team cultures: How Spanish football put the 'I' back in team". bluestoneedge.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "Socioeconomic impact of professional football in Spain" (PDF). KPMG Sports. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ Giles Tremlet (21 March 2013). "EU prepares to blow final whistle on Spain's debt-ridden football clubs". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.