Spain in the Rankings
Spain holds two #1 spots on RList as of October 2026: Real Madrid has won the Champions League more than any other club (15 times), and Barcelona’s Sagrada Família is the tallest church in the world.
The Gran Telescopio Canarias is the second-largest optical telescope, the Al Andalus is the second-most expensive luxury train ride, and only France and Japan have more Michelin three-star restaurants.
Where Spain ranks
Spain’s best placing in each ranking where it makes the top 10. Unranked lists show “Pick”.
| Rank | Ranking | Entry | Figure | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | The Most Champions League Titles by Club | Real Madrid +1 more in the top 10 | 15Titles | Sports & Fitness |
| #1 | The Tallest Churches in the World | Sagrada Família (Basilica of the Holy Family) | 172.5 m (566 ft)Height | Buildings & Structures |
| #2 | The Largest Optical Telescopes in the World | Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) | 10.4Aperture (m) | Science & Space |
| #2 | The Most Expensive Luxury Train Rides in the World | Al Andalus (Spain) | $7,190Cheapest cabin | Vehicles & Machines |
| #3 | The Countries with the Most Michelin Three-Star Restaurants | Spain | 16Three-star restaurants | Restaurants & Food |
| #4 | The Largest Banks in Europe | Banco Santander | $2.25TTotal assets | Money & Business |
| #5 | The Largest Stadiums in Europe | Santiago Bernabéu | 81,000Capacity | Sports & Fitness |
| #6 | Countries with the Largest National Open Data Portals in 2026 | Spain | ~100,000Datasets | Tech & AI |
| #8 | The Fastest Trains in the World | AVE S-103 (Madrid–Barcelona) | 300Max operating speed (km/h) | Vehicles & Machines |
| #8 | The Longest-Lived People Ever Verified | María Branyas Morera | 117 years, 168 daysAge (years, days) | People & Abilities |
| #10 | The Countries with the Highest Life Expectancy | Spain | 83.7Life expectancy (years) | Health & Medicine |
| #10 | The Tallest Statues in Europe | Cristo del Otero — Palencia (1931) | 21 mHeight | Buildings & Structures |
| Pick | Smart Building Tech for Moving People in 2026 | Situm | Tech & AI |
No matching rows.
More in the spotlight
All 13 rankings
The Most Champions League Titles by Club
Real Madrid have won 15 European Cup and Champions League titles, ahead of AC Milan (7) and Liverpool and Bayern Munich (6 each). As of May 30, 2026, after Paris Saint-Germain's second straight title.
View ranking →
The Tallest Churches in the World
The world's 30 tallest churches, ranked by height to the top of the tallest spire, tower or dome. Barcelona's Sagrada Família took #1 in 2026 at 172.5 m, ending Ulm Minster's 135-year reign; filter by denomination to see the 11 tallest Lutheran churches.
View ranking →
The Largest Stadiums in Europe
Europe's 25 biggest stadiums for football, rugby and Gaelic games by official current capacity, led by Wembley's 90,000, with Camp Nou just outside while it is rebuilt.
View ranking →
The Fastest Trains in the World
Passenger trains ranked by the top speed they actually run in regular service — China's Fuxing and Indonesia's Whoosh lead at 350 km/h, and the Shanghai Maglev now runs at 300.
View ranking →
The Largest Optical Telescopes in the World
Operating optical and infrared telescopes ranked by effective aperture, from the 11.8 m Large Binocular Telescope to the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the twin 10 m Keck telescopes, plus JWST in space.
View ranking →
The Longest-Lived People Ever Verified
The 15 longest human lives ever independently validated, led by Jeanne Calment at 122 years, 164 days. Ages follow LongeviQuest, GRG and Guinness validation, with living ages as of October 5, 2026.
View ranking →
The Countries with the Most Michelin Three-Star Restaurants
Michelin three-star restaurants by country, ranked: France leads with 30 (31 with Monaco), ahead of Japan with 21 and a tie between the US and Spain at 16. Counts as of October 4, 2026.
View ranking →
The Countries with the Highest Life Expectancy
Life expectancy at birth, both sexes, from the UN World Population Prospects 2024 (2023 estimates). Monaco and San Marino lead the sovereign states, with Japan the highest large country; non-sovereign territories such as Hong Kong are excluded.
View ranking →
The Most Expensive Luxury Train Rides in the World
Ranked by each train's cheapest standard cabin or seat, not its top suite.
View ranking →
Smart Building Tech for Moving People in 2026
Connected elevators, AI lobby screening, elevator-riding delivery robots and indoor wayfinding: 25 real products that move people and parcels through buildings in 2026.
View list →
Countries with the Largest National Open Data Portals in 2026
The U.S., India and Germany run the world's biggest government open data portals — 15 countries ranked by how many datasets their national portal lists in 2026.
View ranking →
The Tallest Statues in Europe
Led by two Russian giants — Europe's tallest completed statues, by figure height.
View ranking →
The Largest Banks in Europe
Ranked by total assets, from London to Frankfurt.
View ranking →