Who Will Win Today's World Cup Final? Spaniards are not used to playing nice with each other, generally speaking.

Who Will Win Today's World Cup Final?

Spaniards are not used to playing nice with each other, generally speaking. Catalonia and the Basque country spend much of their time proclaiming themselves as culturally and politically independent nations—even though the Spanish constitution says otherwise. But for a moment at least, none of that matters. With its national team playing in the World Cup final this afternoon against the Netherlands, Spain is a briefly united country, rallying around La Furia Roja, as the team is known. "Not since the Spanish civil war have there been so many flags in the streets," El País newspaper reported. Until now, the flag had been widely despised outside of Madrid as a symbol of fascist rule under General Franco. But even in Barcelona, the heart of Catalonia, it is cropping up on balconies. After today's final game, the ultra-exclusive club of World Cup winners will admit a new member—only its eighth in 80 years. The Daily Beast's Joshua Robinson on how we arrived at this extraordinary moment. Plus, watch highlights of the tournament.

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