Baena says Spain are built for a World Cup final run

Álex Baena's 66-minute winner against Uruguay sent Spain into the round of 16 as Group H leaders, but the 1-0 in Guadalajara looked more like a grind than a showcase. The Atlético de Madrid midfielder scored the only goal on 26 June 2026 and was named the FIFA/RFEF MVP after a match in which Spain had to absorb Uruguay's hard pressing and heavy physical marking.

Baena did not frame the night as an aesthetic success. Proud of the effort, he said the match was not for showing off but for competing, after Uruguay crowded out Spain's usual passing rhythms. His sharpest line came after the final whistle: "Somos los campeones de Europa y estamos hechos para llegar hasta la final." The real test for Spain is whether that self-image, built on the Euro 2024 title and the Olympic gold in Paris, can hold up when opponents force them into ugly, tactical games.

That pressure had already been part of Baena's message before the tournament began. On 7 June in Chattanooga, United States, he said Spain arrived at the World Cup 2026 "con la emoción de poder hacer algo grande" and added that the squad wanted to be "la número uno" in everything. Against Uruguay, he backed up that ambition by repeating in the starting lineup and scoring his first World Cup goal before being replaced by Yeremy Pino after 66 minutes.

Spain finished the group stage unbeaten, with five goals scored and none conceded, and kept its run without defeat alive at 34 matches. The numbers underlined both the team's current power and the standard it now has to maintain. The next opponent in the round of 16 will come from second place in Group J, where Argentina, Austria, Algeria and Jordan remain in the mix. Spain have the trophy-laden recent past to justify confidence, but the Uruguay match showed that the road to another final will demand adaptability as much as authority.