Olmo Says Spain's World Cup Win Can Lift Barcelona in Europe

Dani Olmo believes Spain’s World Cup victory can supply Barcelona with added confidence as the Catalan club begins another attempt to reclaim the Champions League. In an interview published by The Guardian on Wednesday, the midfielder said the scale of Spain’s achievement has not fully sunk in for the players.

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Spain defeated Argentina in New Jersey on July 19 to become world champions. Olmo returned to Barcelona training 23 days later, where coach Hansi Flick immediately turned the focus toward delivering European success at club level. Eight members of Spain’s 26-player World Cup squad were Barcelona players, according to The Guardian.

Barcelona open their Champions League campaign against Feyenoord at Camp Nou on Wednesday. The club has not lifted the trophy since June 2015, and the 2026-27 final is scheduled for June 5 at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium. Olmo said the World Cup winners within Barcelona’s squad can carry lessons and confidence from the national team into the competition.

The club’s recent domestic record provides a strong platform. Olmo helped Barcelona win a domestic treble in his first season after returning from RB Leipzig in 2024, and the team retained the league title last season. Their European campaigns ended against Inter in the 2024-25 semi-finals and Atlético Madrid in last season’s quarter-finals.

Olmo told The Guardian that Barcelona have learned from those eliminations, particularly the need to manage every phase of knockout matches and avoid becoming exposed when their pressure is broken. He contrasted Barcelona’s aggressive defensive line with a Spain side that is more willing to defend in a medium or deeper block, while describing both teams as committed to attacking possession football.

Barcelona’s attack has changed following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, while a move for Julián Alvarez did not materialise. The club added Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon, and Olmo identified Raphinha, Jesus and Hamza Abdelkarim among the central attacking options. He also said Flick could deploy either him or Fermín López through the middle. For Olmo, the combination of new arrivals, recent experience and a core of world champions gives Barcelona several routes toward ending their long European title wait.