TL;DR
- Spain is ranked No. 1 by FIFA and aims for a strong 2026 FIFA World Cup showing.
- Spain is close to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, needing one point from their final match.
- Spain has historically struggled at the World Cup, winning only once in 2010.
- The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will be held on December 5 in Washington, D.C.
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.
Considering their skill, the consistent failures internationally are rather unexpected, and it falls to Luis de la Fuente to alter their historical trajectory and restore Spain to football supremacy.
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. AllSportsPeople 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?
Spain: World Cup 2026 bound?
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.
Currently, they lead Group E by three points over second-place Turkey. The two nations are scheduled to face off on the last match day, where Spain will secure qualification with a single point.
Actually, they might still advance even with a loss, provided they keep their edge in goal difference.
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's WC 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's 2026 WC Qual.
| 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.
Following their 2010 victory, Spain has underperformed at the World Cup, exiting in the group stage in 2014 as defending champions, and then reaching the Round of 16 in both 2018 and 2022.
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
If they qualify, Spain's itinerary for the 2026 World Cup won't be revealed until the tournament's draw, at which point the 12 four-team pools will be formed, and the routes to the final will become more apparent.
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).