Lamine Yamal and the Spain men’s national team know their path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and despite being one of the deepest teams at the tournament, it’s not going to be easy.
Spain won Group H with wins over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, as well as a surprising scoreless draw with Cape Verde. Spain remains one of the favorites to lift the title on July 19, tied with the third-best odds at +700 with England and behind France (+360) and Argentina (+400).
Here’s everything you need to know about Spain’s possible path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final:
How Spain’s Path Was Decided
This simulation of Spain’s path to the World Cup final assumes two things:
- That the team wins every one of its knockout stage games.
- That the team with the highest FIFA ranking in every other matchup wins as expected, starting with the round of 32.
This creates the hardest — and maybe most realistic — path for Spain to make the final.
Round of 32 vs. Austria
(Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)
Date: July 2
Location: Los Angeles
- Opponent: Austria
- FIFA Rank: 22
- Record: 1W-1D-1L
- Odds To Win The Tournament: +20000 (tied for 22nd)
Round of 16 vs. Portugal
Date: July 6
Location: Dallas
- Opponent: Portugal
- FIFA Rank: 8
- Record: 1W-2D-0L
- Odds To Win The Tournament: +1500 (5th-best)
Quarterfinals vs. Belgium
(Photo by Joris Verwijst/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Date: July 10
Location: Los Angeles
- Opponent: Belgium
- FIFA Rank: 10
- Record: 1W-2D-0L
- Odds To Win The Tournament: +5000 (tied for 14th-best)
Semifinals vs. France
Date: July 14
Location: Dallas
- Opponent: France
- FIFA Rank: 3
- Record: 3W-0D-0L
- Odds To Win The Tournament: +360 (Best)
Final vs. Argentina
Date: July 19
Location: New York/New Jersey
- Opponent: Argentina
- FIFA Rank: 1
- Record: 3W-0D-0L
- Odds To Win The Tournament: +400 (2nd)
