FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. So did God pick Spain?

​ @fifa   World Cup 2026 Final. Spain beat Argentina 1 to 0. So did God pick Spain?

 @LeoMessi   lost the World Cup Final. And three days before it, Spain's head coach prayed something almost nobody expected.

Escúchame, I have to tell you about a sentence that stopped me cold this week.

Three days before the final, a reporter asked Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente what he had been praying for. Be honest, we all know what we would have said. God, give me the win. Give me the trophy.

That is not what he said. He said this: "It would be unfair to ask Him to help me and not help our opponent."

En verdad, en verdad, I had to sit with that one. Because most of us do not pray to know God. We pray to recruit Him. We treat Him like He is on our team, wearing our jersey, fighting on our side against everybody else.

So we walk through four things here. The coach who prayed for both teams before he knew who would win anything. Ferran Torres, who watched 62 minutes from the bench, then buried the winner in the 106th minute. Rodri, who tore his ACL weeks after winning the Ballon d'Or, then came back and won the Golden Ball. And two verses that tie all three together. I pull the Hebrew and the Greek up live on screen for that part, and mi gente, those two Greek words are a fuego.

Here is where I land. God's faithfulness was never sitting on a scoreboard. If Argentina had scored that goal instead, not one thing in this video would have meant less. The trophy was never the prize. The prize was the man each of them became on the way to it.

And maybe that is you right now. On the bench, wondering if your moment is ever coming. Or you prayed, you worked, you believed, and it still did not go your way.

Your faith is not wasted because you did not get the trophy. God might be doing the deeper thing. Building endurance in you. Proving your character. Making you somebody who can carry a win or a loss and still be who He called you to be. Because He knows you. Él te conoce. Better than any scoreboard ever will.

So drop me one word in the comments. Bench. Rebuild. Surrender. Let's pray over this comment section together, y oramos juntos. I read every single one.

Dios te Bendiga.
- Gio


⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Spain Wins. Nobody Saw This
0:41 The Prayer Behind The Trophy
2:24 De La Fuente's Shocking Answer
5:45 Jesus Prayed The Same Way
6:45 Ferran Torres: Benched 62 Minutes
8:52 "God Gives To Those Who Deserve"
11:40 Rodri's ACL: 18 Months Of Pain
15:40 "I Am Very Christian"
16:23 Psalm 23 And The Hebrew "Through"
18:47 Romans 5: Hypomone And Dokime
22:31 So Did God Pick Spain?
23:43 Free Indeed: New Music Out
24:58 Your Trailblazer Check

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

The FIFA World Cup twenty twenty-six, Spain versus Argentina. Spain lifted the World Cup trophy. But the prayer behind the trophy is the story here. And Belam Bella, nobody saw it coming. Stay with me, because the real answer is hiding inside a prayer that one man prayed three days before he knew he would win anything. And trust me, it's not what you think. This is Spain's second title ever. The first one was all the way back in 2010. And normally a video like this typically picks a winner and moves on. But not today. Today we're gonna look at four things a coach, a guy who didn't even start, a guy who came back from an injury that should have ended him, and a couple verses that ties this entire thing together. But before we get into it, be honest with yourself. When you pray, are you trying to know God? Or are you just trying to get him on your team? Hold that thought because this coach is about to mess it all up for us. Are you ready? Let's go. You're probably wondering how is this gonna help me in my life, dear? This World Cup has a hidden truth about prayer and overcoming obstacles that I really need you to hear so that you can rise, lead, and move forward in life. And this is what we are here for. So if this message hits your heart and blesses you, please hype this video and subscribe. It truly means a lot, to be honest with you, because we're working hard on a mission to help you proclaim your kingdom purpose so that you can find truth in your daily trail. And you're not just here to survive, you're here to walk unshaken. So let's start with this coach. His name is Ruiz de la Fuente. And three days, just three days before his biggest game of his entire life, a reporter asked him a simple question. Coach, what have you been praying for? Now you would expect the same thing that all of us would probably do. You would probably say, God, give me the victory, give me the win, give me the trophy, right? Well, instead, this is what he said. Let's watch.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

But not because I'm in a mundial, I do grace the day that I left. I mean and I say one day.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

That is wild. Because I bet none of you even thought about that. Didn't you? Here's one thing I want to react to because it just came to me as I was watching the clip. And it's the fact that sometimes we as believers, we pray to God to give us the victory, to give us the win, to overcome the obstacle. And that is that is very Bible-rooted. That is truth. However, sometimes we forget that in life there's some things that we go through that we're actually competing against other brethren in Christ. And one of these one of these examples is sports. Do you think that the Argentinian team was not praying to God for the victory, for the win? There was a lot of Christians in that team too. Right? So are we gonna say that God loves Spain more than Argentina? That is the wrong focus. Because at the end of the day, we have to pray to God for what really matters. Do you understand? Because unfortunately, most of us don't pray to know God. We pray to recruit him over. We want to treat him like he's on our team, like he's wearing our jersey and he's fighting right here by our side against everybody else. Right? Well, think about that. Truly think about that. Because also De La Fuente actually said something before that, too. He said he prays every single morning, not because he's at the World Cup, but just to say thank you. Thank you for waking up and getting another day. So by the time the tournament shows up, he's not begging God for a result. He already knows him. And check this out because Jesus actually prayed the exact same way. If you recall back in the garden, right? Jesus did ask for something that he wanted. He said, Father, please pass this cup. But then he didn't leave it like that. And here's this twist. He said his next five words. And those next five words changes everything. What were they? Not my will, but yours. That's the difference. Then La Fuente basically prayed, God, give me what I need to honor you. And I'll leave the scoreboard completely to you. Now hold on to that because it shows up again. This time in a guy who was sitting on the bench when the game started. So this is not a starter, right? And this next story about the World Cup is gonna open up your eyes. So let's check it out. Ferran Torres. He did not start in this final. He watched for the first 62 minutes from the bench. Then he comes on, the game's locked up, nobody can score, and it drags all the way into extra time. That was a blast, right? Oh my gosh. Boom. So look at that. Minute one hundred and six. Pedro Porro floats one into the back post. Nico Williams hits it down. And Ferran, boom! He buries it, man. Yeah, they scored another one, but this was the dagger that won the World Cup right here. Look at all that, man. That was insane. One touch, and that's all it took to change how the world sees Ferran. But what he said after the game, that's the part that got to me. So let's check it out.

SPEAKER_08 8:24

I think I have been a person very criticized throughout the World Cup, but I believe that as I said before, destiny is written. Thank God he always gives me the strength to keep going. And in the end, as I say, God gives things to those who deserve them the most.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Did you hear that? He said, Thanks be to God. And in the end, God gives things to those who most deserve it. Hmm. Now listen to the first half of that. He didn't say, God, take me off the bench. He said, God give me the strength to keep going. 62 minutes of staying warm and staying ready, just waiting patiently for his time. Now, by the way, it could have very well never happened, right? Because if he wasn't needed, he was never gonna be able to play. That's the real moment. That's the true moment, right? He asked God for the strength to keep going and to stay ready to be able to play and show his craft. Think about that. I want y'all to always think about these things, right? You could be on the bench, you could be silent at work, you could be feeling like you're left out on something. But if you're always ready, ask God for the strength to keep going. Because you never know when your shot is gonna come. Now, I do gotta push back on the second half. I really say this with love. I say this like we say in Spanish, and it's the fact that when he says God gives things to those who most deserve it. I know it sounds beautiful, I get it, but that is something that this world wants us to think, okay? Because it's just not the gospel, grace and belambela and all reality and truthness, grace is the complete opposite of that saying. It's the thing you get when you don't deserve it. None of us earned it, and that that's the whole point. And I want to make that clear because I don't want y'all to think that we only get things because we deserve it. That is not true, but in all truthfulness, at the end of the day, God's will be done. Again, we go back to that prayer in the garden by Jesus. You and I didn't deserve his love, and yet we got it. And he showed it on the cross. And that is grace. That's what flips Christianity completely on its head against all the other worldviews. Because it's not about what you do, it's about what he did. So Spain winning doesn't mean God loves Spain more. A trophy is not a receipt that says you deserved God. Keep that in your pocket because Rodri's story is about to prove it. Because Ferrand's test lasted 62 minutes. This next guy's test lasted 18 months. He just went through the most excruciating pain that any athlete can experience. Let's check it out.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Okay, let's break away for some breaking news. And Manchester City have confirmed in the last few seconds that Maudrey has suffered a ligament injury to his right knee. The injury was sustained during the first half of this weekend's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League. The midfielder travelled to Spain to seek specialist consultation this week following initial tests in Manchester. Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis. As City finishes it, we are saying everyone at the club wishes him a speedy recovery.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Man. You saw that clip. It was in September 2024. Roger had just won the Ballon d'Or, the biggest individual award in this sport that you could ever receive. And weeks later, he tears his ACL out for over eight months. Here's the thing about that injury you can't pray your way around it. You can't skip the years, you can't skip the pains, the reps, all the recovery process that you have to go through to overcome an injury. And those of you who are listening to me that were athletes or are currently athletes, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I still remember the days where I rolled my ankles. I still remember the day when I when I broke my arm. That hurts like crazy. You think that's easy? Recovery is sometimes one of the worst things that you have to endure. But you know what? Also, recovery has a lot of teaching behind it. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, alright? But listen to me. Sometimes recovery is the process that helps you rise and keep going. So stick with me. Because when you rebuild, it's a slow private process where nobody's clapping and no guarantee that you will ever be who you were. Then he comes back. And he captains Spain to the World Cup. And he gets named the best player of the entire tournament. Check this out.

SPEAKER_09 14:08

Because he they didn't need the defensive player when he defends. And then to take those balls because it was all about the attack. So well deserved. I enjoyed this.

SPEAKER_04 14:20

Let's go play the World Cup. They had a rough season. It is Christians. Don't give up. You heard the commentator. He looks slow. CTR not the same, he's not the same. And that's the answer. You lift the World Cup in a tournament where we talked so much about the stars, and rightfully so. While he's a star.

SPEAKER_03 14:42

That's crazy. You heard the comment there, never give up. And look, when everybody thought that he was not the same, that was what the commentator said, by the way. What happened? Boom. Boom. Look what he's showing. The best player in the entire tournament. This is the biggest tournament in the world of sport. And I want to say this because, man, when I did my bad buddy video, boy, I got killed by those comments, man. Jeez. But back to this, because Rodri, check out what he said in the interview after the match. His faith didn't erase the torn ligament. Faith gave him something to stand on. Maybe your comeback isn't a knee. Maybe, maybe it's burnout. Maybe it's a business that fell apart. Because comebacks almost never start with an applause. They start quiet. They start one rep at a time. And this is why your setback is not your identity. Let's bring all this together because there are two verses that's gonna meet you where you stand today and how you apply this to move forward. Let's go. Let's start off with Psalm 23. Now I know this is a very famous one. Almost everybody recites, even if you're not a believer, even if you don't know Christ, you probably know about Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me, he leads me beside still waters. If you're recovering, recovering from an injury, he restores my soul, he leads me in paths of righteousness. And then the most famous part even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because you for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they come for me. Now think about this, because in retrospect, David, as he was writing this, he was going through tribulation. The reason why you would say in the valley of shadow of death is because he is going through a tough spot, and you may be going through a tough spot right now, right? Just like Roger did, he was going through a recovery process, ACL torn, right? Well, in the valley of shadow of death, I shall not fear because you are with me. Don't focus on your strength, don't focus on the pain, don't focus on the suffering. Because there is some hope. There is God that is right there with you going through that pain. And I wanted you to see something because the word through here is really astonishing. I want to deep dive. Bay. That's how you pronounce it in the Hebrew, by the way. So this is the Bible word study on that on the word through here, and it says, in among upon. One thing that I want to show you is that this word could also mean at. Because where you are at right now, that's where he is. Even though I'm going through the valley of shadow of death, that's your at, that's your location, that's where he is. He is with you, he is in it with you. Right. So let's go to the other verse that I want to show you. It's Romans 5, verse 3 and 4. And it says like this not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance. And endurance produces character. And character produces hope. And hope does not push us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Now look at this chain of words. Look at that chain: suffering, then endurance, then character, then hope. This is Faron on the bench. This could also be Roger's rehab, right? As he was going through that process. That's also the coach on his knees every morning as he prays. But watch what happens when you go to the Greek, because these two words are fire. Check this out. So let's go to the first one. And the first one is endurance. Let's listen to the pronunciation in Greek. And doing a quick Bible word study, you see that Ipomoni literally means to remain, to remain under the situation, to be patient, to be steadfast, to persevere, or staying, holding out. Look at each one of these roots, endure steadfast, remain. And by the way, this logos Bible tool actually shows you where in the Bible these words are actually used. So that way you can go back to those books and check where these words are used and are they using the same sense so that it would boost your overall Bible knowledge and study. This is one of the reasons why I love using Logos Bible software for all of this. But going back to the word endure, in other words, stay in the weight and not collapse. That doesn't mean that you're gonna be gritting on your teeth and you're gonna be pretending that you're totally fine. This is just staying under the pressure while God holds you up. And for Rodri, that was over eight months under that weight. Now, let's go back to the verse because there's another word in here that I want to talk about, and it's the word character. The word character is pronounced dokimi. Dokimi. And let's do a quick Bible word study on it. Now hear me out because this is a good one. All in all, dokimi is what you call the metal when it's gone through the fire and it's been proven as pure, it's tested, it's approved, it's the real thing, it's verified. So, what Paul is really saying here is that God is not out here just giving out trophies to whoever thinks who deserves it. That's not it. What he's actually saying is that God is in the fire with you, proving your dokimi, proving your character, and turning it into a real thing. So the trophy, that was never the price. The prize is the man each one of them became on the way to it. If you really want to study and deep dive on the word, and you really like what you're seeing about logos, this is just a little bit of the things that this tool can actually do. It has a built-in AI with guardrails that is tied to all the references in the Bibles that they have in here, all the books, all the different revisions of the Bible. I think this is a great tool if you really want to deep dive and understand and grow in your spiritual journey. So if you really like what you're seeing, the link is in the description. The best part is that through our partnership with Logos, you can get 60 days. Free again. I'm saying 60 days free. You know, typically it's 30 days with us. You get 60 days free. And not only that, which since we're partner with them, this is also a way that you can support a channel and help us reach anybody who needs this word. So check out the link in the description and use logo Bible software to study that word. Alright, check it out. So that God picked Spain. According to the coach who won it all, the answer is no. He was praying for both teams, actually, before he knew he would win anything and would be standing there at the end. God's faithfulness was never sitting on the scoreboard. If Argentina would have scored that goal instead, no one thing I just told you would have meant less. Because the prayer is still the prayer. And the comeback is still the comeback. And here's why all this matters to you. Because maybe you're not in the World Cup final. Maybe you're on the bench. Maybe you're wondering if your moment's coming. Or maybe you prayed, you worked, and you believed, but you're still not getting it your way. And it's because, bottom line, faith is not wasted because you didn't get the trophy. And belam balla, truly, truly, God might be doing the deeper thing. He may be building endurance in you. He may be proving your character, making you into someone that can either win or lose, and you're still gonna stay in who he called you to be. Because God knows you. And he knows you better than the scoreboard everywhere. And on that note, our music channel is officially out. Trailblazer Unbound Music, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, the whole nine yards. Our music is out there. And we got a couple of songs in there, but the latest one was free indeed. And when I wrote it, it was completely focused on the fact that we are definitely free in Christ. Shame is out the way, and now we're rooted with who we are walking with, which is Jesus. The same way that he was with Moses, the same way he was with David, he is with you. And that makes you free indeed. So go ahead and check it out on Spotify, YouTube music, our YouTube channel, Trade Blazer on Bow Music, because I know this song is gonna break the chains that is holding you back. Because it's like John 8 36. If the sun sets you free, you are free indeed. And here's how we make it the lyrics and the heart, it's all me. Straight from my own walk, from my life, from my faith. AI is just the instrument. But the message, the message is all God. And we're also gonna be curating playlists for your trail. Whatever the season you're going through, whatever the walk you're going through right now, we're gonna be making curated playlists. So go check it out. Triple Blazer Unbound Music Channel and Demesaber Kekre. Let me know what you think. So here's your Trailblazer check. What season are you in right now? Drop me one word in the comments. It's either bench, rebuild, or surrender. Whatever it is that you feel today. But let's pray for this comment section together as a community, which is exactly what we want to build. And if this video hits you, share it with somebody who needs the strength to keep on walking. Hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next. And that video popping on your screen right now, check it out. Because if prayer has quite turned your prayer life into one more thing you have to perform, this video was made for you. Así que rise, lead, and let's build this together. Alright, mi gente? Chew out. Peace.