Spain have played in 17 of the 23 tournaments held so far, and are two-time world champions. They won the World Cup in 2010, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final, and again in 2026, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. Before their 2010 triumph, their best performance had been 4th place in 1950.

Spain playing at the 2010 World Cup Spain playing at the 2010 World Cup

In Spain's first World Cup in 1934, they lost to Italy in the quarter-finals in a replayed match.

When Spain finished 4th place in 1950, they beat the USA, Chile and England on their way to a semi-final spot. Subsequent losses to Brazil and Sweden saw the Spaniards finish fourth overall.

Despite Spain being a seeded team for the 1954 finals, they did not play in that final series, as they were eliminated in the qualifying round following the toss of a coin to decide a drawn match - the first team to do so in the World Cup. For the 1954 World Cup, unlike now, the seeded teams for the finals were determined before the qualifying competition. After a tie with Türkiye in the qualifying round, Spain lost a toss-up and were eliminated. Türkiye then became a seeded team in the finals.

In 1982, Spanish fans were devastated when the national team and tournament hosts managed only one victory on home soil and just managed to reach the second phase of the World Cup.

The national team enjoyed a better tournament in 1986, before being eliminated by Belgium in a penalty shoot-out. In 1990 they lost in extra time in the second round to Yugoslavia, while in 1994 they reached the quarter-finals.

In 1998, they were eliminated in the first round. Korea Republic ended a more successful Spanish campaign in 2002, defeating them in a penalty shoot-out again in the quarter-finals.

In 2014, Spain had a shocking tournament, becoming the fifth defending champions to not make it past the first round.

Spain's 7-0 win over Costa Rica in their opening game at the 2022 Qatar World Cup was the most goals they have scored in any World Cup match. The team reached the quarter-final of the competition, but lost to Morocco on penalties.

Spain will co-host the 2030 World Cup.

Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup, claiming their second world title 16 years after their first. It was their 17th appearance at the finals.

Spain topped Group H, drawing 0–0 with Cape Verde before beating Saudi Arabia 4–0 and Uruguay 1–0.

In the knockout rounds, they beat Austria 3–0 in the Round of 32 and edged Portugal 1–0 in the Round of 16 through a late Mikel Merino goal. Merino struck late again to see off Belgium 2–1 in the quarter-finals, and Spain then beat France 2–0 in the semi-finals.

In the final in New Jersey, substitute Ferran Torres scored in extra time to defeat Argentina 1–0 and crown Spain world champions.

Date Round Result Opponent
15 June Group H 0–0 Cape Verde
21 June Group H 4–0 Saudi Arabia
26 June Group H 1–0 Uruguay
2 July Round of 32 3–0 Austria
6 July Round of 16 1–0 Portugal
10 July Quarter-final 2–1 Belgium
14 July Semi-final 2–0 France
19 July Final 1–0 (a.e.t.) Argentina

Trivia

  • Spain became two-time world champions at the 2026 World Cup, beating Argentina 1–0 in the final through Ferran Torres' extra-time goal — 16 years after their maiden triumph in 2010.
  • Spain kept clean sheets in six of their eight matches at the 2026 tournament, conceding only twice on their way to the title.