Due to previous political difficulties, the Spanish national team is basically barred from playing against one UEFA member.
Over the past two decades, Spain have been the most successful European national side in tournament football, having won three European Championships – in 2008, 2012 and 2024 – as well as the 2010 World Cup.
The country has produced some of the most brilliant footballers in contemporary times, with Lamine Yamal, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Ramos among the numerous world-class players to wear the red shirt of La Roja.
Since 2008, Italy, Germany, England, and the Netherlands have all lost in the final to the Spanish, with the team also playing several other teams off the park in friendly and qualification matches.
Spain will compete in World Cup qualifiers this week, with Luis de la Fuente’s side playing Georgia in Elche before meeting Bulgaria in Valladolid.
However, one country has never played Spain in a competitive or friendly match since becoming a full member of UEFA in May 2013.
Gibraltar, now ranked 200th by FIFA, is a British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain.
Gibraltar’s sovereignty has been a source of contention for several years, as Spain claims it as part of its territory.
As stated by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the continued de facto British occupation does not meet the requirements of international law for the acquisition of sovereignty,” so Spain’s government “has always stressed that the occupation of the isthmus is illegal and contrary to international law, and has therefore always demanded its unconditional return” .
Due to political tensions between Spain and the region, UEFA has barred the two nations from playing each other.
According to UEFA’s draw rules ahead of the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the two teams were named in a list of four banned fixtures, along with Ukraine vs Belarus, Kosovo vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo vs Serbia, and were kept apart in the draw.
Following Spain’s Euro 2024 final victory over England, midfielder Rodri and striker Alvaro Morata screamed “Gibraltar is Spanish,” prompting UEFA to impose a one-match ban.
The two were forbidden from competing for “failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute” .
In a statement posted to its website, the Gibraltar Football Association criticised Spain’s actions, stating that it had “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations”.
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