World Cup 2026: How Spain earned its spot in the final

Round of 32: 3-0 win over Austria

Spain continued its momentum against Austria in Los Angeles, putting up an easy 3-0 win. Austria coach Ralf Rangnick was shell-shocked by the time the match finished. 

“I can’t remember any unforced error that they made,” he said of the Spaniards, via Kirkland. “Spain showed us their best performance today. I dare to say that we didn’t only play the European champions, but perhaps the next world champions.”

Round of 16: 1-0 win over Portugal

If Spain’s Austria win was easy, its Portugal win was difficulty personified. It fought, kicked and pushed its way through 90 interminable minutes before nicking a last-gasp winner through Mikel Merino in the second minute of added time. Merino’s goal likely ended the World Cup career of Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who, at 41 years old, was playing in his record-setting sixth straight tournament.

This was Merino’s first late game-changing goal for Spain at the World Cup, but it wouldn’t be his last. His efforts as a substitute—and Spain’s deep bench in general—propelled the team through this long stretch of knockout fixtures. 

“The players who come off the bench are all-important,” de la Fuente said, via FIFA.com, and Merino proved it here.

Quarterfinals: 2-1 win over Belgium

Another knockout game, another crucial Merino winner. The Arsenal midfielder entered this match in the 86th minute and scored just 90 seconds later. 

Spain won this game handily, but it did concede its first goal of the tournament to Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere—the same man who took down the U.S. Men’s National Team in the Round of 16. He remains the only player to have broken through Spain’s rock-solid defense at the 2026 World Cup.

Semifinals: 2-0 win over France

Spain entered this match as something of an underdog. Free-scoring France had set the tournament alight in earlier rounds and was widely expected to take home the win. But from the opening minute, Spain’s incredible—and widely underrated—defensive line had other plans. Full back Marc Cucurella pocketed France’s Ballon D’Or-winning attacker Ousmane Dembele and all but marked him out of the game. 

When France conceded a silly penalty in the first half, it felt like the match was already over: Spain knew exactly what to do to keep the French quiet and seal its victory with a minimum of fuss.