Spain has never been shy about putting the ball in the net on the world’s biggest stage. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the Spanish national side is writing another chapter in a long history of World Cup goal-scoring, with Mikel Oyarzabal currently leading the charge as the tournament’s top scorer for La Roja.
Oyarzabal has found the net four times in the ongoing campaign, putting him within striking distance of the Spanish single-tournament record. That record sits at five goals, a mark set twice in history by two very different generations of Spanish football.
The record that has stood for decades
The first time a Spanish player hit five goals at a single World Cup was in 1986, when Emilio Butragueño tore through defenses in Mexico.
Then came 2010, and David Villa did it again. On home soil in South Africa, Villa scored five goals as Spain lifted their first and only World Cup trophy.
