Luis de la Fuente has agreed a new contract with the Spanish men’s national team through to the end of Euro 2028.
The 63-year-old took over as head coach of the senior side after Luis Enrique departed following the team’s round-of-16 exit at the 2022 World Cup.
De la Fuente’s existing deal with the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) had been due to expire after the 2026 World Cup, with the 63-year-old last signing a contract extension in February 2024.
That came a few months before Spain won the European Championship under De la Fuente in Germany, their first major title since Euro 2012. Spain beat England 2-1 in the final with De la Fuente and the team receiving plaudits after not entering the tournament as one of the favourites.
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Before taking the job in December 2022, De la Fuente had worked with Spain’s youth teams for the previous nine years, winning a European Under-19 Championship in 2015, a European Under-21 Championship in 2019 and a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
De la Fuente featured for Athletic Club, Sevilla and Alaves during his playing career before retiring in 1994.
Spain’s next fixtures come in March when they face the Netherlands away and then home in their Nations League quarter-final first and second legs. Whether they win or lose that tie will determine who they face in their UEFA qualification group for the 2026 World Cup.
‘Clear to everyone that De la Fuente deserved an improved contract’
Analysis from Real Madrid correspondent Guillermo Rai
The announcement of De la Fuente’s renewal as Spain head coach is anything but coincidental. His previous contract expired right in the middle of the European Championship last summer, so the RFEF decided to extend his previous contract until the 2026 World Cup.
But that was not a renewal as such, nor did it lead to a contract upgrade. So now that the new RFEF president Rafael Louzan has been appointed, it was clear to everyone in the organisation that the coach deserved an improved contract.
According to sources on both sides, who prefer not to be named because they have been involved in the negotiations, De la Fuente is very close to renewing until at least the 2028 World Cup with a pay rise.
During these negotiations, talks have been amicable on both sides and the deal is now only awaiting the final details. On Monday, January 27, the RFEF board of directors will meet and President Louzan is expected to announce the latest news on the renewal.
Thus, De la Fuente will be the first pillar of the European champions’ sporting project, which for months has been without a sporting director or head of youth categories. Both Albert Luque and Francis Hernandez left after being closely linked to former president Luis Rubiales, who will go on trial on February 3 for an alleged non-consensual kiss with women’s player Jenni Hermoso after the World Cup win in 2023.
(Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Images)
