Spain EURO 2020 Preview - History and Expectations

Published on 29 Feb 2020 | Last updated on 01 Jul 2026 | Reading time: 5 minutes

The Spanish national team has failed in the last three major international tournaments. After dominating for four years and winning two European titles and one world title in the period 2008-2012, La Furia Roja collapsed at the 2014 World Cup and was eliminated in the group stage. At the last European Championship, Spain was eliminated in the 1/8 finals from Italy, and in the same phase was eliminated at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. At the upcoming European Championship, the nation will expect a stronger performance from the Spanish players. Luis Enrique's selection fell into a relatively easy group and is one of the hosts of the competition, so "La Furia" is not entitled to a disappointing performance in the groups, and then the fans will want strong performances from the team of the direct eliminations.

Check out our preview of Spain at the 2020 European Championships and what we can expect from "La Furia Roja".

Spain European Championships - History and successes

Spain has three European titles and is among the most successful teams in European championships. La Furia Roja first became European champions in 1964, when it won in front of its own audience. Until 2008, Spain had only one final, and at the championships in Austria and Switzerland won gold medals after success in the final against Germany. Four years later, Spain also dominated Euro 2012, which was held in Poland and Ukraine. La Furia Roja defeated the Italian team 4-0 in the final in Kiev. At the last European Championship in France, Spain was eliminated in the 1/8 finals after a 0-2 defeat by Italy.

The Road to Euro 2021

Spain had no difficulties in their qualifying group on the road to Euro 2021. The Spaniards recorded 8 wins and 2 draws in a group with the teams of Norway, Sweden, Romania, Malta, and the Faroe Islands. La Furia lost points only in matches with Norway and Sweden in their away games. At home, the team recorded some impressive victories, such as the one with 5:0 over Romania and 3:0 against Sweden. Spain scored 31 goals in their 10 matches in the European qualifiers, keeping 5 dry nets.

Euro 2020 fixtures

Spain is in Group E of Euro 2020 with the teams of Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia.

• June 14, 9:00 pm: Spain - Sweden / La Cartuja, Seville /
• June 19, 9:00 pm: Spain - Poland / La Cartuja, Seville /
• June 23, 6:00 pm: Slovakia - Spain / La Cartuja, Seville /

Spain squad for the European Football Championship 2021

Experience and youth will have to merge in the Spanish national team for a strong performance at Euro 2020. In the team of Luis Enrique, there are players of the highest class in each position. Starting with goalkeeper David de Gea, who in recent years has been one of the best on his position. The Man United goalkeeper will have competition in the face of Kepa and Pau Lopez. Experienced players such as Sergio Ramos, who is the captain of the team with 170 games and 21 goals, Raul Albiol, Jordi Alba, Dani Carvajal, Inigo Martinez, as well as the younger Pau Torres (23 years old) and Jose Guy (24).

The new generation of midfielders of Spain in the person of Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, and Danny Olmo will have the support of the much more experienced Sergio Busquets, Santi Cazorla, Tiago, and Isco. In this area of ​​the field, Luis Enrique can also count on Danny Paraho, Suso, and Saul, so the choice in the middle of the field is quite diverse. As if the big problem for La Furia is attack. After the withdrawal of players like David Via and Fernando Torres, the class in attack is not up to par. However, Paco Alcácer, Alvaro Morata, Rodrigo, and Iago Aspas will be the people who will be expected to lead Spain's attack on Euro 2020.

Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sánchez (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenders: Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Jose Gaya (Valencia), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Diego Llorente (Leeds United), Eric García (Manchester City), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders: Sergio Busquet (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Marcos Llorenta (Atletico Madrid), Thiago (Liverpool), Rodri (Manchester City), Fabian (Napoli), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Gerard Moreno (Villareal), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Pedri (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Manchester City), Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pablo Sarabia (Paris Saint-Germain)

Source: www.fifa.com

The Big Star: Sergio Ramos

La Furia captain Sergio Ramos is the big star in Luis Enrique's squad. The captain of Spain and Real Madrid will be 34 years old at Euro 2020 - most likely his last participation in the tournament. He will lead the defense as he has always done. Ramos has proven more than once that he can decide matches with his goals, so he will be a key figure for Spain this summer and he will be expected to lead the team to the medals.

Expectations for Spain at Euro 2020

Spain is among the hosts of the European Championship 2020 and in the group stage will play its matches in front of its own audience. This should give La Furia Roja a big advantage. The Spaniards are the favorites in the group and we expect to win it. This will guarantee them on paper a lighter opponent at the start of the direct eliminations. We believe that the selection of Luis Enrique will certainly reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. Spain also has the strength to enter the top 4 of the championship, but at the moment there are stronger national teams in Europe and for "La Furia Roja" it will be a difficult task to win a medal from Euro 2020. Our prediction is for at least quarter-finals.

Odds for Spain

As we already mentioned a couple of times, Spain is in an easy group. This is our personal view, but maybe the bookmakers are thinking the same way. They are giving a very high probability to win the group and go through the 1/8 finals. Spain is also in the top 5 favorites for winning the European title in 2020. Here are the current odds for the "La Furia":

To win Euro 2020	8.50
To win Group E	1.33