Spain's road to a second star: how La Roja conquered the 2026 World Cup, game by game
Spain are world champions for the second time, and they have done it with the hallmark of the greatest generation in their history: eight games, seven wins and a single draw, fourteen goals for and just one against. De la Fuente built a side of possession, pressing and patience that grew as the tournament went on —from the opening 0-0 against Cape Verde to the 1-0 over Argentina in the final— and that found a hero whenever it needed one: Merino in stoppage time, Oyarzabal from the spot, Porro, and substitutes Nico Williams and Ferrán Torres in New York. We review La Roja's full run, their best moments and the keys to their football.
Spain have won the 2026 World Cup and added the second star in their history, sixteen years on from South Africa 2010. But beyond the title, what Luis de la Fuente's Roja leave behind is the feeling of having watched the greatest generation in Spanish football crown itself with an almost perfect tournament: eight games, seven wins and a single draw, fourteen goals for and just one against, with seven clean sheets. Game by game, this is how the feat was built.
GROUP STAGE (GROUP H). The opener was the coldest night of the whole campaign: a 0-0 against Cape Verde in which Spain piled up possession but found no goal, a warning that the tournament would be no stroll. The response came on matchday two with an exhibition: 4-0 against Saudi Arabia, La Roja's highest-scoring game of the whole World Cup and the first show of their attacking potential. Top spot in the group was sealed with a 1-0 over Uruguay, a hard-earned win against tough opponents that confirmed this team could also win the ugly games.
ROUND OF 32: SPAIN 3-0 AUSTRIA. The knockouts brought out La Roja's best version. Austria were swept aside 3-0 in a game Spain dominated from start to finish, wrapping up the tie early. The unit was clicking, the defence was a wall and the team carried the solidity of a serious title contender.
ROUND OF 16: SPAIN 1-0 PORTUGAL. The Iberian derby was the first big test, and it was settled by a name that would recur: Mikel Merino. The midfielder popped up on 90+1' to break an agonising deadlock and send Spain into the quarters at the death. A win of character in the tensest game to that point, against a Portugal side who sold their skin dearly.
QUARTER-FINALS: SPAIN 2-1 BELGIUM. The only game in which Spain conceded all tournament. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring and, with Belgium pushing, up popped Merino again —this time on 88'— to settle the 2-1 and, once more, play the late hero. La Roja suffered, but again won the moments that decide.
SEMI-FINAL: SPAIN 2-0 FRANCE. The rematch of the Euro 2024 semi-final again fell Spain's way. Mikel Oyarzabal opened from the spot on 22' and Pedro Porro settled it on 58', finishing a Dani Olmo assist. With Mbappé shackled and a huge Unai Simón, Spain knocked France out for the second tournament running and booked their date with glory.
FINAL: SPAIN 1-0 ARGENTINA (EXTRA TIME). The final act was the most agonising. Against the world champions, Spain produced their usual dominance —65% possession, 20 shots to 2— but crashed again and again into a colossal Dibu Martínez. The 0-0 held until extra time, where De la Fuente won the game from the bench: on 106', Pedro Porro crossed, Nico Williams nodded it down and Ferrán Torres, another substitute, bundled in the goal of the second star. Argentina, moreover, finished with ten after Enzo Fernández's dismissal.
THE KEYS TO THE FOOTBALL. This Spain's football was recognisable in every game: control of the ball (possession touching 68% in some ties), a high press to win it back quickly and infinite patience to wait for the moment to score. Defensive solidity was the foundation —a single goal conceded in eight games, with Unai Simón as the safety net and a back line led by Laporte and the teenage Cubarsí— and squad depth was the difference: the goals were shared around and often came from the bench.
THE PROTAGONISTS. Mikel Oyarzabal was the team's top scorer with five goals and the man for the big moments; Mikel Merino, the eternal impact sub, decided Portugal and Belgium in stoppage time; Pedro Porro burst out with key goals and assists; and in the final, Nico Williams and Ferrán Torres finished the job off the bench. With Lamine Yamal lighting things up out wide, Pedri and Fabián controlling the tempo and Rodri as the midfield beacon, De la Fuente strung together Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup, a double within the reach of very few.
Spain leave the United States, Mexico and Canada with a second star and with the now indisputable tag of the best team in the world. A generation that is already part of Spanish football history. You can relive every match, report and stat of the tournament on our site.