Spain beats Portugal 1-0 with last-gasp goal, sets up World Cup final vs Argentina

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Publication Date: 2026-07-16 15:04:51

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026 11:04 AM ET

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

By Alyssa Clang

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is set to kick off on Sunday, July 19, from East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Spain and Argentina survived five weeks, five rounds, and seven games apiece to earn their spots in the championship match. It is Spain’s first appearance in a World Cup final since 2010 and Argentina’s second appearance in as many attempts.

The match pits the reigning champion of Europe against the reigning champion of South America. Here is how la furia roja of Spain got there.

Group Stage

• 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde
• 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia
• 1-0 win over Uruguay

Spain’s only blip at the 2026 World Cup was its opening game: a shocking, near-impossible 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde, one of the smallest nations to ever qualify for the tournament. (At the time, it was unknown that Cabo Verde would go on a generational World Cup run, holding two-time champion Uruguay to a draw before taking Argentina to extra time in the Round of 32.) The world panicked on Spain’s behalf, but Spain, to its endless credit, never did.

“In this World Cup there’s extreme equality and difficulty,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente after the draw, via Alex Kirkland of ESPN. “This team was clearly inferior to us, but they did the things they had to do well. We’re calm. This is a long tournament, and in our head we’ve still got seven games left.”

Spain’s calmness paid off in a big way against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. It beat both teams by a combined score of 5-0 and sailed into the knockout rounds in first place in Group H. It did most of this without the regular help of talismanic teenager Lamine Yamal, who entered the tournament recovering from an injury. He played just 45 minutes against Saudi Arabia before putting in a respectable 76-minute shift against Uruguay and returning to full fitness.

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 would not be his last. His efforts as a substitute—and Spain’s deep bench—proved crucial as the tournament progressed.