Spain

At the Europeans they have regular participants since 1954, missing only the 1962 edition (they had an early try in 1934 as well). Before their triumph in 2024, Spain’s best showings at the Europeans were those silver medals in 1991, 2018, 2020 and four bronzes from 1983, 1993, 2006 and 2022. Apart from the medal-winning performance in Belgrade 2006, they missed the top flight between 1995 and 2016. They lost five Qfs in a row, and had to settle for the 7th place in 2008, 2012 and 2014, 8th in 2010 and 5th in 2016.

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The men’s heydays date back to the 90s when the team – after two silver medals at the Worlds in 1991 and 1994 and one from the 1992 Olympics – won the Olympic title in 1996 and back-to-back world titles in 1998 and 2001 (played in 4 straight world champ finals). 

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All in all, at the Worlds, Spain was coming back after a smaller shock as they couldn’t qualify for the 2015 World Championships: they missed the big event for the first time in their history. Beforehand, besides their four straight finals between 1994 and 2001, they had two more medals, a bronze in 2007 and a silver in 2009, 5th place finishes in 2003 and 2005 and in 2011 and 2013 (at both Worlds held in Barcelona in 2003 and 2013). Their 9th place in Budapest in 2017 was the lowest ranking since 1978 – only to bounce back and made the podium at the last five editions: 2019: silver, 2022: gold, 2023: bronze, 2024: bronze, 2025: gold.

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All in all, Spain is the team to beat – since 2018, they never failed to make the podium at all majors but the Olympics. They medalled at the last five editions of the World Championships (2019-2025), at the last four Europeans (2018-2024), won the last two World Cups (2023, 2025), however, the curse at the Olympics didn’t go away – ever since they won in 1996, they were unable to add any medal at the Games, Paris 2024 was the 7^th straight edition without a podium-finish.

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