​FC Barcelona will once again be represented in a FIFA World Cup final after Spain edged Belgium 2-1 in the 2026 tournament quarter-finals. The victory guarantees that at least one Barcelona player will feature in the final, which is set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States. Spain, led by head coach Luis de la Fuente, currently includes eight Barcelona-born or -associated players in its squad: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal. Their path now leads to a semifinal clash against France, managed by Jules Kounde.
The last World Cup final without a Barcelona representative occurred in Germany 2006, a finale that saw Italy defeat France in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. That same summer, Barcelona signed two players who had taken part in the final: Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta. Since then, the Catalan club has been represented in every World Cup final.
Barcelona has contributed eight members to Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in 2010, when La Roja defeated the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time. The players were Victor Valdés, Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Pedro Rodríguez, and David Villa. In 2014, Brazil hosted the World Cup, and Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano represented Argentina in the final against Germany, which Germany won 1-0 after extra time; at that time, Hansi Flick served as an assistant coach for the German team and would later become Barcelona’s manager.
In 2018, during the tournament in Russia, Barcelona again featured prominently as Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembélé helped France to the title over Croatia, with Ivan Rakitić playing for Croatia. The trend continued in Qatar in 2022, where Dembélé and Koundé represented Barcelona in the final. Olmo’s Spain now faces Kounde’s France in the semi-final. With Spain advancing to the semifinals, Barcelona has officially secured representation in five consecutive World Cup finals, marking a remarkable streak that began in 2010.
The exact count of Barcelona players in this year’s final will depend on how the first semifinal unfolds, scheduled for July 14 in Dallas, where Spain confronts France. Barcelona could even have players on both sides of the clash if the bracket plays out that way. On the other side of the draw, England—featuring Barcelona forward Anthony Gordon—takes on Norway in the remaining quarter-final as they strive to reach the last four. If England advances through both the quarter-finals and the subsequent semifinal, Barcelona could again boast representatives on both sides of the World Cup final, ensuring another prominent Barcelona presence on football’s grandest stage.