The Qatar 2022 campaign
Spain began with a 7–0 victory over Costa Rica. A draw with Germany and defeat by Japan left them second in Group E, ahead of Germany on goal difference. Morocco then held them scoreless through extra time and won the round-of-16 shoot-out. Spain's campaign is a study in the distance between an emphatic opening and the later ability to break a knockout deadlock.
Reading the record
Spain recorded 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat across 4 matches, scoring 9 goals and conceding 3. FIFA’s match summaries record 16 attempts on target from 51 total attempts during their campaign.
Shoot-outs decide which team advances, but their kicks are excluded from the goal totals above. Matches decided on penalties count as draws in this win–draw–loss record; extra-time goals count towards the match score.
Matches to revisit
Compare Costa Rica with Morocco: the first supplied seven goals, the last supplied none across 120 minutes.
Final Group E standings
Spain finished second with 4 points. The top two teams advanced to the round of 16.
| Team | P | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Spain | 3 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Germany | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 3 |
The route, match by match
- 23 Nov · Group E
Spain 7–0 Costa Rica ↗
Spain make an emphatic opening statement
Al Thumama Stadium · 19:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 27 Nov · Group E
Spain 1–1 Germany ↗
Germany stay in the contest
Al Bayt Stadium · 22:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 1 Dec · Group E
Japan 2–1 Spain ↗
Japan take first place from behind
Khalifa International Stadium · 22:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 6 Dec · Round of 16
Morocco 0–0 Spain ↗
Shoot-out: 3–0 (Morocco – Spain)
Morocco keep Spain scoreless, then advance
Education City Stadium · 18:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics
Sources and method
FIFA’s complete Qatar 2022 match-report hub ↗
Campaign totals are calculated from Spain’s match results and the individual FIFA statistical reports linked on each match page. The overview is an editorial retrospective by Qatar22 Editorial.