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If Spain wins World Cup on Sunday, they will also break an impressive football record

Spain is one win away from surpassing Italy's record of matches without defeat.
Javier Escribano Editor Spain 15 July 2026

Spain is in their second World Cup final after the one won in 2010, beating France 2-0, and will face England or Argentina in the final. It will be a hugely important match for Spain, aiming to win a second star, but the match will have another significance: if Spain wins, they will surpass Italy with the longest unbeaten run in international football history.

Now, Spain has been undefeated in 37 matches (28 wins, 9 draws), since a 1-0 loss to Colombia in a friendly match on March 26, 2024 in London. Italy also went unbeaten for 37 matches between October 2018 and September 2021, the year they won UEFA Euro. If Spain wins the final, they will extend the record to 38... winning a World Cup in the process.

Spain could theoretically also maintain the unbeaten streak and end up losing the World Cup, if the match ends in draw after extra time and then lose in penalties: that's what happened in the UEFA Nations League final in June 2025, against Portugal: they lost the title and the match, but for the records it still counted as a draw.

Editor Spain Javier Escribano wrote for Gamereactor from 2024, covering sport alongside video games and world news. His work appeared on the Spanish and international editions.
Full profile Gamereactor author since 2024 · 5,329 published articles
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