The Athletic is providing live coverage of the Spain v Belgium 2026 World Cup quarter-final match.
One of the major by-products of FIFA’s expansion to a 48-team World Cup is that even the best teams can slip a little under the radar.
There was little talk about Spain after their shocking goalless draw with Cape Verde in the first leg. But suddenly they find themselves in the last eight and looking in ominous form, being the only country yet to concede a goal. In fact, Spain set the record for the longest time they haven’t conceded a goal at a World Cup, with 609 minutes played since they lost to Japan in Qatar in 2022.
Their route to the quarter-final clash with Belgium did not bring the same excitement and outpouring as some of the other contenders, but the clinical performance of Luis de la Fuente’s side became increasingly evident as the competition progressed.
Spain’s status as the tournament’s best defensive team was no coincidence. As you can see in the graph below, no country that qualified for the round of 16 conceded fewer expected goals (xG) per game than Spain, while they also allowed the fewest touches in their penalty area.
They keep the ball out of their goal more effectively than any other team in the tournament.
With teams that dominate the ball like Spain, it can be easy to ignore the discipline and focus required to ensure that security. Pablo Zabaleta knows what it’s like to defend a team in possession of the ball, having spent nine years at Manchester City, and is in awe of it. Spain’s ability to keep their structure strong even when they have the ball.
“Of course, dominating possession means you can control the flow of the game and deny your opponents the opportunity to attack too often,” says Zabaleta, who will join FIFA’s technical research group in the summer. “Especially in the closing stages where you have to control the intensity of the game, they control the ball situation so well; it’s part of their DNA.”
“But part of their principle is also that having a large number of players within a short distance of each other when passing the ball allows them to counter-press very quickly when they lose it. That’s what Spain works on from an early age, to make sure the players are switched on and in the right place to win the ball back the second they lose it.”
Below in the match against Saudi Arabia we can see the benefits of having what is known as a strong “rest defence” which is how a team structures their players when attacking.
They line up the left flank with a triangle of Pedri, Alex Baena and defender Marc Cucurella, with the two midfielders looking to apply instant pressure as soon as the pass is broken up.
This forces Musab Al Juwair to make a quick pass forward, but Spain are able to quickly collect the ball in the central channel, with four teammates surrounding Dani Olmo as he returns the ball. This allows Spain to maintain its territorial dominance while wearing down its opponents, who must fend off wave after wave of attacks.
Here is another example of a match with Austria in the playoffs. While Lamine Yamal is fighting in the penalty area, Ralf Rangnick’s team is trying to carry out a quick counterattack. But Rodri quickly makes contact with Marcel Sabitzer and wins the ball back within seconds. This is another example of Spain’s violent reaction to losing possession.
Again, Rodri has four players gathered around him and he is looking up. Collective counterpressing, hunting in packs – the distances are always short, which allows Spain to both win the ball and attack quickly, maintaining pressure on the opponent’s back line.
Zabaleta has particular praise for Rodri. “He reads the game very well; he always knows when to press. His position is always excellent to counter-press and win the ball back immediately.”
“I’ve played in Spain and lived in Spain and in every region of the country they do the same thing. They all know that those two or three seconds after losing the ball are crucial, how they need to react, whether you’re from the north of the country, from the south… it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s a huge advantage because when they meet for the national team, everyone has grown up with these principles.”
Here is the latest example of this realization from Rhodri. When a low cross is intercepted, Rodri comes out of nowhere and deflects the ball away from Bruno Fernandes as Portugal try to break through, surrounded by teammates who effectively block the ball.
Such dedication and organization in their quick defense is evident in the numbers; no team regained possession more often in the final third, and the opposition’s average possession time of just 19.3 seconds is by far the shortest.
They dominate the ball, work hard to limit their resistance in transition and contain build-up play high up the pitch.
It’s not just the forwards who need to be included in the counterpressing. Centre-backs and full-backs must be prepared to get forward, pushing their teammates and helping to compress space so that opponents have little time on the ball.
“They are ready for this,” Zabaleta says. “Kubarsi does it in almost every game for Barcelona with the high line they play. It’s a risk. As a coach you have to convince the players to do it, but Kubarsi has the character to accept it.
“Laporte has a little more experience, but they are always very close to the strikers and want to win these duels.”
According to the FIFA Football Performance Insights advanced data set, Koubarsi and Laporte won 24 of 31 duels in the middle third (77.4%), demonstrating their ability to step in and win the ball in crucial moments with space behind them to attack.
Anticipation plays a huge role as we see the back four in a dangerous position against Cape Verde. Initially, both center backs drop quickly to follow the onrushing man from behind, but Laporte quickly recovers and spots a forward pass into midfield, his interception keeping Spain on the front foot.
Although not as common in the Spanish national team, defenders also need to be willing to drift inside and defend, something Zabaleta experienced at City under Pep Guardiola.
“I had one season with Pep at City where I drifted into the half-backs to push one of the eights a little higher,” he said. “Obviously one of the reasons was to create an extra corps in midfield, but he also told me: “Pablo, I want the wingers to stay on the flanks and the technical midfielders to play in those tight spaces. I need you in these central positions to avoid counterattacks because you are a defender. I prefer the full-backs to be inside to counter-press quickly.”
The dangers are clear: Guardiola and now De la Fuente are clearly aware that fast attacks can go the other way. But leaving so much space behind them is a risk they are willing to take, given how much it compresses space and helps counter-pressing later on.
“It can be very difficult for a defender: one ball behind and you have to run 40 yards,” Zabaleta said. “But it’s a risk the coach wants to take and sometimes it works out, but other times the opposition striker is really fast and will win that race.”
On the rare occasions that Spain allow the opposition to gain possession, the out-of-possession situation is predictably strong.
They often drive the ball to a specific side of the field before marking each player and limiting any passing opportunities. Either they lift the ball high up the pitch to get ahead quickly, or they force the opposition into a riskier long pass – often grabbing the ball before starting another wave of attack.
An example of this is shown below in a match against Austria (white), where all Spain players (red) on the ball side are within two yards of their opponents. Left-back Cucurella often takes a particularly aggressive position, jumping forward to pursue his opponent in the forward areas. Also note the area that Rodri controls in the midfield, ready to jump in and support his teammates or take the second ball himself.
The second example is an almost exact copy of the 1/8 finals match between Spain (white) and Portugal (red).
Each player on the flank is clearly marked, the opposition’s options are limited, and Rodri patrols the central space as extra cover to maximize Spain’s chances of regaining possession.
According to FIFA, 10.4% of the time Spain did not have the ball was spent in “high block” — no country has a larger share in this indicator. Getting the ball back in the outfield isn’t all about luck; this is by design.
There are risks, of course, and someone like Kylian Mbappe could exploit that space at the back more effectively than some strikers they have faced up to this point in the competition.
But Spain are a well-oiled machine and while it is easy to focus on patient passing and technical ability on the ball, without that their intensity and coordination is unmatched.