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Spain won the 2026 World Cup two years after winning Euro 2024 — the men’s double. And because Spain’s women won the 2023 World Cup, Spain became the first nation in football history to hold the men’s and women’s World Cups at the same time. Luis de la Fuente’s youth-driven project delivered a record-breaking defensive run: just 1 goal conceded in 8 matches, 7 clean sheets, and a 38-match unbeaten streak that set a new international record.
The double
| Tournament | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Euro 2024 | Spain champions | Jul 2024 (beat England 2-1 in final) |
| World Cup 2026 | Spain champions | 19 Jul 2026 (beat Argentina 1-0 aet in final) |
The 2024-2026 double came with a youth-driven core — Lamine Yamal (19) and Pau Cubarsí (19) — who won both tournaments as teenagers.
First-ever men’s and women’s holder
The men’s title came less than three years after the women’s. Spain now holds both crowns — a first in football history.
The youth core
| Player | Age | Role | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamine Yamal | 19 | Winger | Euro 2024 (17), World Cup 2026 (19) |
| Pau Cubarsí | 19 | Centre-back | Euro 2024 (17), World Cup 2026 (19) — Best Young Player |
| Pedri | 23 | Midfielder | Euro 2020 (18), Euro 2024 (21), World Cup 2026 (23) |
| Gavi | 22 | Midfielder | World Cup 2022 (18), Euro 2024 (20), World Cup 2026 (22) |
Luis de la Fuente built around a Barcelona-heavy generational core. Yamal and Cubarsí both won Euro 2024 as 17-year-olds and the World Cup at 19. Cubarsí won the Best Young Player award at the 2026 World Cup.
"When you look back at this process, I would not have achieved anything without these players. The journey with this raw material, this talent. Spanish footballers, the way they compete. These players are amazing." — Luis de la Fuente (Spain coach), Yahoo Sports, 19-20 Jul 2026.
The defensive record
| Metric | Value | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Goals conceded | 1 in 8 matches | Fewest ever by a World Cup winner |
| Clean sheets | 7 | Unai Simón set a single-edition record (6 at the SF, 7th in the final) |
| Unbeaten run | 38 matches | New outright international record (past Italy’s 37) |
| Shots on target allowed (final) | 0 | Argentina had no shot on target across 120 minutes |
Spain’s defensive record defined the tournament. They conceded just 1 goal across 8 matches — against Belgium in the quarter-final — and kept 7 clean sheets. Unai Simón won the Golden Glove and set a World Cup record for consecutive clean sheets (6, cross-tournament from 2022 into 2026).
Spain’s unbeaten run reached 38 matches by the final — a new world record, surpassing Italy’s 37-match streak.
Spain’s tournament path
| Round | Result | Goals for / against |
|---|---|---|
| Group H | 7 pts, won group | 5 / 1 (1 draw) |
| Round of 32 | 3-0 Austria | 3 / 0 |
| Round of 16 | 1-0 Portugal | 1 / 0 |
| Quarter-final | 2-1 Belgium | 2 / 1 (only goal conceded) |
| Semi-final | 2-0 France | 2 / 0 |
| Final | 1-0 Argentina (aet) | 1 / 0 |
| TOTAL | 8 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses | 14 / 1 |
Spain won all 8 matches. Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute of the final — his first goal of the tournament.
"If my gloves during the World Cup could talk, they would say that they haven’t had to work as much as those of other goalkeepers’. Leaving seven clean sheets are numbers that are going to cost a lot to overcome and I don’t attribute the merit to myself but to my team-mates." — Unai Simón (Golden Glove winner), Goal.com, 20 Jul 2026.
The Kiwi angle
Spain were favourites to win the tournament (outright odds around 1.67-1.72 before the final) and delivered. For New Zealand fans who followed from the group stage, Spain’s rise from dark horses to champions played out across NZT morning and afternoon viewing times. The final kicked off 07:00 NZT Monday 20 July — breakfast-time viewing for Kiwi fans who stayed up or woke early.
For the final match recap see Spain’s 1-0 win. More: Rodri’s Golden Ball · Tournament records.
Gamble responsibly. 18+. See NZ betting law.
