How good is Spain? What to know about soccer’s unsung superpower dominating the 2026 World Cup

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Spain is off to the World Cup final for the second time in its history, advancing to the biggest game in the world's biggest sporting spectacle courtesy of a dominant 2-0 win over tournament favorites France.

La Roja has enjoyed a dazzling tourney thus far, proving to be international soccer's most stout defense. Despite its exploits, casual audiences might not be privy to Spain's gifted roster, save for star man Lamine Yamal.

With that, The Sporting News takes you through what has made the Spaniards so hard to beat in this year's World Cup.

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How good is Spain?

La Roja endured a shaky start to its World Cup journey, recording a shock 0-0 draw against tournament newcomer Cape Verde in its opening match. Spain found its form in the final two matches of the group stage, setting Saudi Arabia and Uruguay aside to claim top spot in Group H.

The Spaniards have looked far more menacing in the knockout stages, conceding just one goal while finding enough moments of attacking flair to put themselves in position to potentially hoist the World Cup trophy.

They're noticeably bereft of household names, at least as far as a casual audience is concerned. That hasn't stopped Luis de la Fuente's bunch from finding success, however.

Spain's strength is its defense. De La Fuente has deployed Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella in his four-man unit, tasking them with blighting their opposition's attacking flair. His approach has worked a charm to this point; La Roja has conceded precious few chances throughout the knockout stages. Spain surrendered just 1.59 expected goals across the Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.

While lacking the true star names one might affiliate with Spanish sides of the past, they have plenty of talent littered across the side. Lamine Yamal is the standout. But Rodri is less than two years removed from capturing the Ballon d'Or, Pedri and Dani Olmo are stalwarts at Barcelona and Mikel Oyarzabal has been in rich goal-scoring form. All of that has combined to help propel Spain to the brink of a second-ever World Cup triumph.

MORE: Quiet man Mikel Oyarzabal having the final word in World Cup of superstars

Spain's unbeaten streak

The Spaniards have rolled off quite the winning run as of late, failing to see defeat in any of their last 37 matches. That's the joint-longest unbeaten run in international soccer history, level with the 37-game unbeaten run Italy enjoyed from 2018-2021.

Spain last suffered defeat on March 26, 2024, falling to Colombia, 1-0.

Spain FIFA ranking

Spain entered the World Cup as the No. 2 team in FIFA's World Rankings. La Roja climbed to the top following its win over France, although these latest rankings will not be ratified until after the tournament.

Lamine Yamal World Cup stats

2026 World Cup stats (5 matches): 1 goal, 0 assists

Lamine Yamal is undoubtedly Spain's best player. However, his numbers haven't quite matched his level of play during his time with Barcelona. He has one goal and zero assists in this year's tournament, a far cry from the 24-goal, 17-assist campaign he enjoyed in Barca colors.

The 19-year-old has largely proven to be La Roja's most effective outlet, carrying the ball deep into opposition territory and routinely probing from the flank. He enjoyed solid showings against Belgium and France despite failing to find the net, regularly slipping beyond his defender to push Spain forward. He forced Thibaut Courtois into action multiple times against the Red Devils, while his pressure brought about La Roja's opener against Les Bleus. Nevertheless, his prowess for goal-creating actions hasn't quite taken fruition thus far. there's every chance that that part of his game will come to pass in the final.

Spain 2024 Euros run

The 2026 World Cup isn't Spain's first run-in with international glory. La Roja swept aside the best sides Europe had to offer during the 2024 European Championships, hoisting the famous trophy after downing England 2-1 in the final.

Yamal became the youngest player ever to feature in the tournament and youngest-ever goalscorer with a deft curling effort against France in the semifinal. He was one of six Spaniards to be selected to the Team of the Tournament, accompanied by Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo, Marc Cucurella and Nico Williams.

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Spain World Cup record

Spain has maintained a glistening unbeaten record at this year's World Cup. The Spaniards are 6-1-0 in this year's tournament, only failing to beat Cape Verde. Each of Spain's knockout wins came in regulation, meaning Spain – unlike many World Cup powerhouses — has enjoyed relative comfort thus far.

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