Spain's Unai Simón Sets New World Cup Clean Sheet Record

Spain's goalkeeper Unai Simón has set a new World Cup record for the longest run of minutes without conceding a goal, a milestone that had stood for 36 years. The 29-year-old achieved the feat during his team's 3-0 victory over Austria in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 2, 2026, a win that secured Spain's place in the tournament's round of 16.

Simón's streak now stands at 519 consecutive minutes across the past two World Cups, surpassing the previous record of 517 minutes set by Italy's Walter Zenga during the 1990 tournament. Zenga's run ended when Argentina's Claudio Caniggia scored against him in the 67th minute of a semifinal match. Simón's shutout run began after he conceded a goal to Japan's Ao Tanaka in the 51st minute of a group-stage match on December 1, 2022. Since that moment, he has not been beaten in World Cup play.

The record-breaking sequence includes the final 39 minutes of that 2022 loss to Japan, a full 120 minutes in a goalless round of 16 draw with Morocco that Spain lost on penalties, and 360 minutes at the 2026 World Cup. At the current tournament in North America, Simón has kept clean sheets in group-stage wins over Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay,...