Spain leads possession and passing but lacks goals in World Cup group stage

Spain dominated possession and passing statistics in the 2026 World Cup group stage, but its goal output lagged behind other top sides. According to ABC, Spain had 69.4% possession, while Infobae (citing FIFA stats) reported 62% — a discrepancy that may stem from different measurement methods Source: ABC; Infobae. Regardless, Spain topped the possession rankings and shared the best passing accuracy (92%) with Portugal Source: Infobae.

Possession and Passing

• Spain completed 2,191 passes, more than any other team, and had the best pass accuracy in the final third (84.6%) Source: ABC.
• It also led in breaking lines with a 72% success rate, and averaged 32.04 seconds to recover the ball (third fastest) Source: Infobae.

Shooting and Goals

Despite the control, Spain managed only five goals — tied for 19th among 48 teams. The goals came from Mikel Oyarzabal (2), Álex Baena, Lamine Yamal, and an own goal Source: Infobae. Spain took 55 shots (6th most), but only 29% were on target Source: Infobae. Their expected goals (xG) was 6.58, suggesting underperformance Source: Infobae.

Defensive Solidity

Defensively, Spain and Mexico were the only teams with zero goals conceded . Spain also committed and received the fewest fouls — 15 each, with 14 of the fouls received coming in the final group match against Uruguay .