Spain's Unai Simon Sets World Cup Record for Consecutive Minutes Without Conceding

Spain's goalkeeper Unai Simon set a new World Cup record for the longest streak without conceding a goal, reaching 650 consecutive minutes. This historic run ended during Spain's match against Belgium on July 10, 2026, when Belgium scored in the 41st minute, breaking Simon's clean sheet streak. Simon surpassed the previous record of 518 minutes held by Italy's Walter Zenga from the 1990 World Cup.

Simon maintained a clean sheet in all six of his prior World Cup appearances, including the last tournament in 2022 where Spain was eliminated in the round of 16 after a 0-0 draw with Morocco that ended in a penalty shootout. Before conceding against Belgium, Simon's last goal allowed was in the 51st minute of the 2022 World Cup match against Japan, scored by Takuma Asano.

The matches in which Simon kept a clean sheet during the 2026 World Cup included draws against Morocco (0-0) and Cape Verde (0-0), and wins over Saudi Arabia (4-0), Uruguay (1-0), Austria (3-0), and Portugal (1-0). Simon's record-breaking performance has secured his place in World Cup history despite Spain conceding for the first time in this tournament against Belgium.