Spain Hold Both World Cups — and One of Them Was Won on Our Soil
Available in USThere is a detail in Spain’s triumph that belongs to us more than to almost anyone else. When Spain lifted the trophy in New Jersey on Monday morning, they became the first nation in football history to hold the men’s and women’s World Cups at the same time. The women’s half of that record was won here — at the 2023 tournament co-hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
Three years on, from a stadium on the other side of the Pacific, the set is complete.
- Spain’s second men’s World Cup, and their first since 2010.
- Euro 2024 + World Cup 2026 — the double, inside one cycle.
- With the women’s 2023 title, Spain are the first nation ever to hold both World Cups simultaneously.
- One goal conceded in eight matches — the fewest ever by a World Cup winner. Seven clean sheets.
- 38 matches unbeaten — a new outright international record, past Italy’s 37.
- Eight matches, eight wins.
The Aotearoa Connection
For New Zealand football, the 2023 Women’s World Cup — co-hosted here alongside Australia — remains the high-water mark of the modern era: full houses, a country that briefly could not stop talking about football, and a tournament staged on our own grounds. Spain won it, and the trophy left for Madrid.
That title is now half of a record no nation has ever held. Whatever else the 2023 tournament meant to us, it is also the reason a line in the record books reads the way it does today.
One correction worth making, because it has been muddled in a fair bit of coverage: Spain’s men won the World Cup in 2026, not 2022. The 2022 tournament was won by Argentina — the very side Spain beat on Monday.
The Road to the Title
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Group H | won the group | 7 points |
| Round of 32 | Austria | 3-0 |
| Round of 16 | Portugal | 1-0 |
| Quarter-final | Belgium | 2-1 |
| Semi-final | France | 2-0 |
| Final | Argentina | 1-0 (aet) |
Look at the pattern: after the group stage, four of Spain’s five knockout wins came by a single goal. This was never a side that overwhelmed opponents. It was a side that closed matches down.
The Defensive Record, in Context
| Record | Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Goals conceded at the tournament | 1 in 8 matches | fewest ever by a World Cup winner |
| Clean sheets at the tournament | 7 | within the 2026 edition |
| Unbeaten run | 38 matches | international record across tournaments, past Italy’s 37 |
The first two belong to this tournament alone. The third stretches well beyond it — Spain went into the final on 37, level with Italy’s long-standing mark, and passed it by winning.
Worth noting how much harder that first number is than it looks. The 48-team format means the champion plays more matches than any previous winner — eight, not seven. Spain conceded once across all of them.
Rodri: The Comeback Behind the Golden Ball
Captain Rodri finished with roughly 756 completed passes, more than any player at the tournament and past Xavi’s 599 from 2010. Across his career he now sits near 1,343 World Cup passes, ahead of Dunga’s 1,306.
The context matters more than the numbers. Rodri ruptured the ACL in his right knee in September 2024 and lost most of the 2024-25 season. About 20 months after surgery he played 120 minutes of a World Cup final against a team that did not manage a shot on target, and was voted the tournament’s best player.
In his own words: "I’d love for the younger generations to see that a player who touches the heavens, then descends into hell, can come back. It’s a lesson in overcoming adversity."
Unai Simon: Three Separate Records
The goalkeeper’s numbers get mixed up constantly. They are three different things:
| Metric | Figure | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Clean sheets in the 2026 edition | 7 | 2026 only |
| Consecutive World Cup clean sheets | 6 | across 2022 and 2026 |
| Consecutive World Cup minutes unbeaten | 650 | across tournaments, past Zenga’s 517 |
Simon on the run: "Leaving seven clean sheets are numbers that are going to cost a lot to overcome and I don’t attribute the merit to myself but to my team-mates."
A Teenage Core
The title was won with a strikingly young spine: Lamine Yamal (19) and Pau Cubarsi (19), the latter named the tournament’s best young player. Two teenagers completed a European and world double inside two years.
Keep the stake modest and treat it as part of the occasion — our responsible gambling resources are there if you need them.
More: The final, in NZT · The 2026 awards · How the markets settled · World Cup 2026 odds
Records and statistics: Wikipedia, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, beIN Sports, The National, Goal.com, 19–20 July 2026.
