Published on 5/20/2026
In a European football season that can be described as frustrating for Spanish clubs, Spanish football has found solace in its coaches, who are clearly imposing their dominance on the final scene of continental competitions this season.
The finals of the European competitions for both men and women turned into arenas bearing the Spanish artistic imprint par excellence.
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European football competitions for women are limited to the Champions League, as there are no European Leagues and Conference Leagues like those for men.
The Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported that 6 out of 8 coaches who will lead the teams in four continental finals (men and women) are Spanish coaches, with a percentage of up to 75%.
The newspaper believes that this “reflects the rising status of the Spanish training school and its ability to impose its offensive style and tactical personality in Europe.”
The Champions League with a pure Spanish flavour
Spanish coaches have monopolized European success in the Champions League for both men and women.
Arsenal’s Spanish coach, Mikel Arteta, led his team to the final match of the prestigious European Championship, beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the two-legged semi-final matches.
Only one day later, it was the turn of his compatriot Luis Enrique, who with his team, Paris Saint-Germain, overcame Bayern Munich in the semi-finals by defeating them 6-5 on aggregate.
The final match of the Men’s Champions League between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain will be held on Saturday, May 30, at the Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
The matter was repeated in the women’s category, where two Spanish coaches will be on the lines in the final match of the Champions League, which will bring together the Olympique Lyonnais and Barcelona teams.
On Lyon’s side is Spanish coach Jonathan Geraldez, who led the French team to eliminate defending champion Arsenal from the semi-finals.
As for Barcelona, it reaches the seventh consecutive final in the Women’s Champions League, after overcoming the obstacle of Bayern Munich, accompanied by its Spanish coach, Pere Romeu.
The final match of the Women’s Champions League between Olympique Lyonnais and Barcelona is scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 23, at the Olivool Stadium in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
European League
As for the second continental competition in terms of strength and importance, the Spanish presence will be represented by coach Unai Emery, who has been supervising the training of English club Aston Villa since November 2022.
Aston Villa will meet its counterpart, Freiburg, led by its German coach, Julian Schuster, today, Wednesday, at Besiktas Park in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Aston Villa reached the final at the expense of its compatriot Nottingham Forest (4-1 on aggregate), while Freiburg overcame Sporting Braga (4-3).
European Conference League
Spanish representation in the tournament launched by the European Football Association (UEFA) for the first time in the 2021-2022 season will not be limited to the presence of coach Iñigo Perez, who in turn led Rayo Vallecano to the first European final in the history of the Spanish club.
In the final, Rayo Vallecano will face its English counterpart, Crystal Palace, coached by Austrian Oliver Glasner, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at the Red Bull Arena, the home of RB Leipzig.
Rayo Vallecano qualified for the final at the expense of Strasbourg (2-0), while Crystal Palace achieved that over the ruins of Shakhtar Donetsk (5-2).
