31 consecutive matches without defeat—what’s behind Spain’s “unbeaten” record?

When talking about Spain’s form, you can’t judge them by just one warm-up match—you need to look at the last two years. Since De la Fuente took over at the end of 2022, Spain have already gone 30 straight matches unbeaten in regular time. Add their 3-1 win over Peru in a warm-up match, and the figure extends to 31 matches. Among these 31 unbeaten games are the glory of winning the 2024 European Championship, as well as classic battles like drawing away to France and defeating Italy.

But have you noticed one detail? Even though Spain remain unbeaten, they also have plenty of draws. From 2025 to now, they’ve had at least five or six. Against Iraq they finished 1-1, and against Egypt they were held 0-0—both were the kind of games where they controlled around 70% of possession but still couldn’t find the net. This exposes a problem: when Spain face a so-called “iron wall” formation, their ability to break through can sometimes get stuck. Once Cape Verde sets up an all-out “big bus” defense, with everyone retreating into the penalty area, will Spain fall into the awkward situation again of “circling the opponent but not scoring”?

I think this time will be different, because Cape Verde’s defensive discipline and overall organization are not as good as those of Europe’s seasoned old hands. They have zero experience in major tournaments as newcomers to the World Cup, and in front of tens of thousands of spectators, it’s hard for them to make no mistakes over 90 minutes. What’s more, Spain’s forward line now has more options—Oyarzabal is in hot form, and Ferran Torres is also riding a good rhythm. As long as Spain stay patient, gaps will eventually appear in Cape Verde’s back line. This 31-match unbeaten record will very likely continue to run on with Cape Verde.

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