Spain's national football team dominated Peru in an international friendly match as preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, winning convincingly. The match took place at Estadio Cuauhtémoc amid some pre-match protests.
Spain is a major Southern European power and the EU's fourth-most populous member, anchoring the western Mediterranean and serving as a bridge between Europe and North Africa through its enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. It is a parliamentary monarchy under King Felipe VI, with a government currently led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, often governing through fragile coalitions and parliamentary alliances. Key fault lines for news readers include regional independence movements—particularly Catalan and Basque nationalism—and a polarized multiparty political landscape. Externally, Spain manages a long-standing dispute with the UK over Gibraltar and a complex relationship with neighboring Morocco over migration and territorial questions.