Spain’s Unai Simon breaks insane World Cup record from 1990 after fourth straight clean sheet

Spain continued their impressive run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Austria in the Round of 32, as Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and Pedro Porro added another to send La Roja into the last 16.

While Spain’s attacking display grabbed the headlines, goalkeeper Unai Simón also made history by setting a new Guinness World Record for the longest clean-sheet streak by a goalkeeper in FIFA World Cup history.

The Spanish shot-stopper has now gone 519 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in World Cup matches, surpassing the previous record of 518 minutes set by Walter Zenga during the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Simón’s record stretches across two tournaments. He kept four consecutive clean sheets at the 2026 World Cup against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Austria, adding 360 minutes to the 159-minute streak he carried over from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Spain exited to Morocco in a penalty shootout without conceding during 120 minutes of play.

The 519-minute milestone ends a record that had stood for 36 years and survived eight World Cups, overtaking some of the game’s greatest goalkeepers, including Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Sepp Maier and Peter Shilton.

Spain have yet to concede a goal at the 2026 tournament, underlining the defensive solidity of Luis de la Fuente’s side as they prepare for a Round of 16 clash against Portugal. The match is expected to test Simón’s record further against an attack featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.