Former Barcelona and Spanish national team player Miguel Angel Nadal believes Spain are among the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup but will face stiff competition from a small group of leading rivals when the tournament kicks off next month.Nadal, a commanding defender who played in the “Dream Team” for Barcelona in the 1990s under the late Johan Cruyff, told Al Jazeera that La Roja’s biggest obstacle could be the pressure from high expectations.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“In principle, Spain is one of the favourites to win but there is considerable competition from other countries like Brazil, France and Germany,” he said.“Obviously, there are some very talented individuals in the team, like Pedri and Joan Garcia, but to win there needs to be a good atmosphere among the whole team. It will not be one player who wins the World Cup, but a team playing together. There needs to be a global good feeling in the camp.”He added: “What is important is they don’t let the pressure get to them and stick by each other.”Nadal, who played for La Roja at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 tournaments, stressed that the World Cup will be the pinnacle of the players’ careers.“They will want to play at their best. This is the height of the players’ career,” he added.Nadal, the uncle of tennis champion Rafael Nadal, said the summer heat in the Americ …
