Ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, the Spain men’s national team is gearing up for a strong showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Historically, Spain have struggled at the World Cup, reaching the semifinals just twice in the nation’s history and winning a single title.
Given their talent level, the repeated flops on the global stage are quite surprising, and it will be on Luis de la Fuente to change the course of their history and put Spain back on top of the football world.
In order to turn all that around, however, they first need to earn passage to the 2026 tournament, which has not quite happened just yet. The Sporting News details how close Spain are to confirming a spot a the coming FIFA World Cup and what they must do to clinch a berth.
MORE: Which teams have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Have Spain qualified for World Cup 2026?
With one more game left to play in UEFA World Cup qualifying, Spain have not yet wrapped up mathematical qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the reality is they are already in.
They currently sit at the top of Group E, three points above second-placed Turkey. Those two teams play each other on the final match day, with Spain just needing a point to confirm qualification.
In fact, they can even qualify with a defeat, as long as they maintain their goal differential advantage.
It would take a ludicrous result to see them miss out. With a +19 goal differential, and Turkey sitting at just +5, it would take a seven-goal victory over Spain for Turkey to win the group — a plausible but ultimately not realistic outcome.
MORE: All you need to know about how UEFA’s World Cup qualifying section works
Spain World Cup qualifying results, fixtures
Spain’s final World Cup qualifying game will come on Tuesday, November 18, unless the unthinkable happens and they fall to second in the standings.
If they somehow manage to end up in the playoff, their opponents will be determined in the draw on November 20, 2025, with the fixtures to be played in March.
Spain World Cup 2026 qualifying results
| Date | Match | Venue |
| Sep. 4, 2025 | Bulgaria 0-3 Spain | Stadion Vasil Levski (Sofia, Bulgaria) |
| Sep. 7, 2025 | Turkey 0-6 Spain | Konya Metropolitan Stadium (Konya, Turkey) |
| Oct. 11, 2025 | Spain 2-0 Georgia | Estadio Martinez Valero (Elche, Spain) |
| Oct. 14, 2025 | Spain 4-0 Bulgaria | Estadio Jose Zorrilla (Valladolid, Spain) |
| Nov. 15, 2025 | Georgia 0-4 Spain | Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena (Tbilisi, Georgia) |
| Nov. 18, 2025 | Spain vs. Turkey | Estadio de la Cartuja (Seville, Spain) |
Spain World Cup record
Spain have won the FIFA World Cup once in history, coming back in 2010 in South Africa.
They have made the semifinals just one other time, when they finished fourth back in 1950 in Brazil. Those are the only two times Spain have progressed past the quarterfinals.
Since their 2010 triumph, Spain have disappointed at the World Cup, finding themselves eliminated in the group stage in 2014 while defending their crown, followed up by two Round of 16 exits at the 2018 and 2022 editions.
Spain record at the World Cup
| Year | Stage reached | Host nation |
| 1930 | Did not enter | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Quarterfinals | Italy |
| 1938 | Withdrew | France |
| 1950 | Semifinals (4th place) | Brazil |
| 1954 | Did not qualify | Switzerland |
| 1958 | Did not qualify | Sweden |
| 1962 | Group stage | Chile |
| 1966 | Group stage | England |
| 1970 | Did not qualify | Mexico |
| 1974 | Did not qualify | West Germany |
| 1978 | Group stage | Argentina |
| 1982 | Second group stage | Spain |
| 1986 | Quarterfinals | Mexico |
| 1990 | Round of 16 | Italy |
| 1994 | Quarterfinals | United States |
| 1998 | Group stage | France |
| 2002 | Quarterfinals | Japan/South Korea |
| 2006 | Round of 16 | Germany |
| 2010 | Won title | South Africa |
| 2014 | Group stage | Brazil |
| 2018 | Round of 16 | Russia |
| 2022 | Round of 16 | Qatar |
MORE: Revisiting the 1930 World Cup — the start of a sporting revolution
Spain World Cup schedule
Should they qualify, Spain’s schedule at the 2026 World Cup will not be known until the World Cup draw, when the 12 groups of four are constructed and pathways to the final become clearer.
When is the World Cup draw?
The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place in Washington, D.C. on Friday, December 5.
The ceremony is due to start at 12 p.m. local time (ET).
