The 2026 FIFA World Cup was staged at 16 venues across North America, 11 of which were in the United States, between June 11 and July 19, 2026. The tournament had the distinction of being the first to feature 48 teams, initially drawn into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams in each group, plus the eight highest-ranked third-placed teams, advancing to the knockout stage. Thus, to accommodate the additional teams, for the first time ever, the knockout stage featured a round of 32.
The eventual champions Spain started their Group H campaign with an unexpected goalless draw with World Cup debutants Cape Verde at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with veteran Cape Verdean goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, nicknamed Vozinha, the hero of the piece. However, La Roja recovered to beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 at the same venue and Uruguay 1-0 at Estadio Akron in Zapopan and hence advanced to the knockout stage without conceding a goal.
In the round of 32, at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Spain once again kept a clean sheet, beating Austria 3-0 thanks to a brace of goals from centre-forward Mikel Oyarzabal and another from right-back Pedro Porro. The latest ‘Iberian Derby’, against Portugal, in the round of 16 tie at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was a hard-fought affair, eventually won by a goal from Spanish substitute Mikel Merino in the first minute of injury time.
Back at the SoFi Stadium for the quarter-final against Belgium, Spain led 1-0 courtesy of a Fabián Ruiz goal after half an hour, but then conceded their first goal of the tournament, scored by
Belgian centre-forward Charles De Ketelaere just before half-time. However, two minutes from time, Merino, who had only been on the field for two minutes, made it 2-1 to Spain.
Spain went on to beat France 2-0 in the semi-final at the AT&T Stadium, with Oyarzabal opening the scoring from the penalty spot after 22 minutes and Porro adding a second goal after 58 minutes. The much-anticipated World Cup final, against defending champions Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, proved to be a little anti-climactic, with Argentina failing to register a shot on target in normal time. Ultimately, the tie was decided by a Ferran Torres goal in the second period of extra time, which gave Spain their second World Cup.