Spain are the first team to keep six clean sheets at a single World Cup, and their 37-match unbeaten run matches Italy's world-best mark. That is the level this side have reached under Luis de la Fuente. It is also why the comparison with the 2010 champions has become more than nostalgia.
Spain's defensive record
The headline number is the six clean sheets. No other team has managed that in a single World Cup, which gives this run a place in the tournament record books before any argument about style or era comparison even starts.
Unai Simón has been central to it. He has kept six consecutive World Cup matches without conceding in regulation play, a goalkeeper record, and that kind of consistency is exactly what allows a team to control games without constantly chasing them.
Spain's 37-match unbeaten streak gives the picture even more weight. The run is level with Italy's world-best mark, so this is not just a good tournament by a strong side. It is a sustained stretch of results that now sits alongside one of the clearest standards in international football.
The 2010 comparison
The 2010 side will always be the reference point because that team won the World Cup with control, composure and players who dictated matches in their own way. Iker Casillas and Unai Simón are separated by only 14 days in age when each played in their respective World Cup finals, a neat detail that underlines the comparison without pretending the squads are identical.
There are other parallels too. Rodri has made more passes than any other player at the 2026 World Cup and is joint-second for tackles, which fits the same basic idea that Spain's authority starts in midfield. Spain's current squad average age is 27.8, while their average caps figure is 33, so this is not a carbon copy of 2010. It is a different group, with a different shape, producing a very similar level of control.
The best read here is that Spain are not leaning on the 2010 comparison because it flatters them. The comparison exists because the numbers keep forcing it back into view. Six clean sheets, 37 unbeaten, and a goalkeeper record are not decorative stats. They are the backbone of the case.
The next marker is simple enough: Spain now carry those numbers into the rest of the tournament, with the record books already well aware of what this run looks like.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
