Spain beats Portugal to advance to 2026 World Cup quarterfinals

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The national team of Spain secured a 1-0 victory over Portugal in their 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match, advancing to the quarterfinals of the global tournament for the first time in 16 years.

The encounter took place in Arlington, Texas, USA. The victory for the Spanish side was delivered by Mikel Merino, who found the back of the net in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.

In the quarterfinals, Spain will face the winner of the match between the United States and Belgium.

Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon extended his team's record-breaking clean sheet streak at the World Cup. The streak now stands at 609 minutes, running continuously since the final match of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup. Spain remains the only team that has not conceded a single goal in the current tournament.

Furthermore, the Spaniards extended their unbeaten run in regular time to 36 matches. The team's last defeat within 90 minutes occurred on 28 March 2023, in a Euro 2024 qualifying match against Scotland (0-2). During this period, Spain lost to Portugal in the Nations League final in June 2025; however, that match was decided via a penalty shootout following a -2-2 draw in regular time.

This marks the first time Spain has reached the World Cup quarterfinals since their championship-winning campaign in 2010. At the 2014 tournament, the team failed to progress past the group stage, while at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, their campaigns ended in the round of 16 following penalty shootout losses to Russia and Morocco, respectively.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For the first time in the history of the tournament, 48 national teams are participating. The final match will take place on 19 July 2026.