Spain After the World Cup

On July 19th, the streets and homes of Spain burst into euphoric celebration as the country’s national team defeated Argentina at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey to win the men’s FIFA World Cup for only the second time in its history. Thanks to a goal by Ferran Torres in the second half of extra time, the country marked the high point of summer amid a sometimes dizzying rush of developments: The increasing profile on the international stage of its socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, as he took strong stands on issues such as the wars in Gaza and Iran abroad; the scandal which seemed to threaten to engulf him and the ruling party at home; a booming economy and devastating wildfires afflicting its citizens. To discuss what the World Cup victory may represent for Spain and the state of the nation as a whole, we are joined on Notes From the World by four guests: Omar Encarnación, Professor of Politics in the Division of Social Studies at Bard College; Gerry Hadden, the Barcelona-based correspondent for PRX’s The World; Fernando Peinado, a reporter for the Madrid section of the Spanish daily El Pais; and Jessica Davidson, an Associate Professor at the Department of History at James Madison University.