Nota de Prensa
WED 19.08.2026
LALIGA has carried out an in-depth analysis of the impact of the youth academy on the sporting and economic success of Spanish football, using the victory at the 2026 World Cup and the cumulative performance of the Spanish men’s, women’s and youth national teams over the last decade as a benchmark, as well as the reflection of this in the successes of clubs in LALIGA EA SPORTS and HYPERMOTION. The data shows that the sustained commitment to developing talent has become one of the main drivers of Spanish football’s competitiveness on a global scale.
The study, carried out by LALIGA’s Football Projects department – the architects of the organisation’s National Youth Academy Plan – shows that Spain is the European national team with the greatest cumulative international success over the last ten years, having won a total of 23 titles across senior and youth teams for both men and women, followed at a considerable distance by Germany with 9 titles, England with 7, 6 for France and Portugal, 5 for the Netherlands and 4 for Italy. Since 2016, there has been an acceleration in these sporting successes, in parallel with the consolidation of the work carried out by clubs, the federation and LALIGA in the area of player training and development through the collective intelligence network of the Youth Academy Meetings since 2016 and the National Plan for the Improvement and Optimisation of Youth Academies launched in 2022.
Juan Florit, Head of Football Projects at LALIGA, said: “The data shows that a long-term commitment to youth development is a proven strategy that delivers results both on the pitch and financially. At LALIGA, we work alongside clubs to help them strengthen their development processes, share knowledge and raise the quality standards of their youth academies, whilst always respecting each club’s own identity and philosophy. The evidence shows that projects which maintain a sustained commitment to youth development generate more opportunities for their players, greater value for their clubs and greater success for Spanish football as a whole, both at club and international level. For us, the most important thing is not just the great results, but the path that makes it possible to achieve them and sustain them over time.”
The world-champion generation emerges from Spanish youth academies
One of the key findings of the analysis is the close link between the success of the World Cup-winning national team and the work carried out within the clubs’ youth development structures.
According to the study, 25 of the 26 players called up by Spain for the 2026 World Cup came through youth systems before reaching the elite level, with 11 LALIGA clubs directly represented among the clubs that developed the players in the winning squad. This data confirms that the national team’s success is not the result of the work of just a few academies, but rather the outcome of a broad, diverse and interconnected development ecosystem.
The clubs that developed the Spanish World Cup-winning internationals who have been transferred to other clubs have earned more than 466 million euros in transfer fees from these players throughout their careers, not including any additional revenue from training compensation or other solidarity and compensation mechanisms. Added to this figure is the value generated by those players who remain at their original clubs. The nine world champions who remain at their youth-academy clubs represent approximately €545 million in sporting and asset value, avoiding significant market costs and becoming strategic assets for their clubs.
More home-grown players, greater competitiveness
The report also highlights a link between the use of home-grown players and sporting performance in competition.
During the 2025/26 season, LALIGA once again led the five major European leagues in the percentage of minutes played by home-grown players, accounting for 20.1 per cent of the total, ahead of Ligue 1 (16.1 per cent), the Bundesliga (11.9 per cent), the Premier League (8.3 per cent) and Serie A (7.6 per cent).
Furthermore, several of the clubs that rely most heavily on home-grown players are among the most competitive sides in Spanish football. In the 2025/26 season, the standout clubs were Athletic Club (69.5 per cent of minutes played by home-grown players), Real Sociedad (55.2 per cent), FC Barcelona (47.5 per cent), RC Celta (43.1 per cent), CA Osasuna (26.1 per cent) and Sevilla FC (25.0 per cent), followed by Valencia CF (23.8 per cent) and Real Madrid (23.1 per cent). These figures demonstrate that investing in home-grown talent is not only compatible with competing at the highest level, but can also become a sustainable competitive advantage in both sporting and economic terms, as the rankings for the use of academy players correlate closely with the top positions in the final league table.
This link between the youth academy and competitive performance is also evident in LALIGA HYPERMOTION. The three clubs that secured promotion to LALIGA EA SPORTS – Real Racing Club, RC Deportivo and Málaga CF – are among those that give the most playing time to home-grown players. Málaga led the division with 57.3 per cent of minutes played by academy graduates, whilst Racing (21.4 per cent) and Deportivo (17.7 per cent) were also among the clubs that relied most heavily on home-grown talent. Furthermore, all three clubs were among those with the most academy graduates in their squads: Málaga had 11, Racing 9 and Deportivo 6, reinforcing the idea that a commitment to youth development can be a key factor in achieving sporting success.
A model that produces more well-rounded and adaptable players
The analysis also identifies a distinctive characteristic of players developed within the Spanish system: their ability to adapt.
A comparison between the 2024 European Championship-winning side and the 2026 World Cup champions reveals that Spain achieved success with significantly different styles of play. Whilst the European champions displayed a more direct, transition-based approach, the world champions stood out for a more interlinked, possession-based style of play. The ability of the same players to perform in both contexts demonstrates the value of a model centred on the all-round development of the footballer, making the ‘ ’ hallmark of players trained in Spanish youth academies the fact that they are ‘complete footballers’.
A strategic commitment to the future
The data reinforces the vision guiding the Youth Academy Plan promoted by LALIGA alongside the 42 professional clubs: a long-term strategy aimed at strengthening the international leadership of the Spanish training model through the continuous improvement of structures, methodology, resources, comprehensive player support and the transition to professional football, with specific KPIs on player protection, infrastructure improvements, dual careers and child protection, reinforced this year through the AENOR-LALIGA certification, which comprises 66 KPIs to be verified via exhaustive audits at candidate clubs.
In recent years, LALIGA has also promoted this model globally by working with clubs, federations and international leagues in countries such as Iraq, China, Vietnam and Peru, where initiatives have ranged from consultancy projects to build a grassroots football structure from scratch to training programmes for youth academy directors and grassroots football coaches.
© LALIGA - 2026