World Cup Football

Spain

In 2006, it will be Spain's 12th participations at the World Cup. The previous appearances were in 1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002.
Their best performance was 4th place in 1950, beating the USA, Chile and England on their way to a semi-final spot. Subsequent losses to Brazil and Sweden saw the Spaniards finish fourth overall.
In their first World Cup in 1934, Spain lost to Italy in the quarter-finals in a replayed match.
In 1982, Spanish fans were devastated when the national team and tournament hosts managed only one victory on home soil and just managed to reach the second phase of the World Cup.
The national team enjoyed a better tournament in 1986, before being eliminated by Belgium in a penalty shoot-out. In 1990 they lost in extra time in the second round to Yugoslavia, while in 1994 they reached the quarter-finals. In 1998 they were eliminated in the first round. Korea Republic ended a more successful Spanish campaign in 2002, defeating them in a penalty shoot-out again in the quarter-finals.
Despite Spain being a seeded team for the 1954 finals, they did not play in that final series, as they were eliminated in the qualifying round. For the 1954 World Cup, unlike now, the seeded teams for the finals were determined before the qualifying competition. After a tie with Turkey in the qualifying round, Spain lost a toss-up and were eliminated. Turkey then became a seeded team in the finals.
Where is Spain? Check out this map.