Portugal vs. Spain: Head-to-head record and past meetings

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 41

Portugal wins: 7

Draws: 17

Spain wins: 17

As Iberian neighbours, the two have met in quite a number of friendlies over the years, but it is in competitive meetings and at major tournaments where the most notable encounters have taken place, as two friendlies at the start of the 2020s both ended goalless.

Perhaps the biggest was the clash in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, where despite trailing twice in the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo's second-half equaliser for Portugal forced extra time, and then penalties, where Alvaro Morata's miss was costly for Spain, handing a second UNL crown to Roberto Martinez's men.

The nations have met in the Nations League before, as they were drawn in the same group during its last iteration in 2022-23, when Spain won 1-0 in Braga thanks to Morata’s late strike that sent La Roja through to the finals, which ended in success.

However, the most famous major tournament meeting between the two came at the 2018 World Cup, when they played out one of the games of the tournament early in the group stages, sharing the spoils in a six-goal thriller.

Doubles from both Ronaldo and Diego Costa had the game level at 2-2, before Nacho’s stunning strike before the hour edged La Roja ahead, until the Portugal legend completed his hat trick with a sensational late free kick that saw the game end 3-3.

They were Ronaldo's first three goals against Spain in his career, because he was unable to have much of an impact at Euro 2012, when their quarter-final also ended level, and went to penalties, where Bruno Alves was the unfortunate man to miss in Donetsk, as Spain would go on to claim a third straight major title.

That came just two years after the sides met at the World Cup in South Africa, when La Roja once again got the better of their neighbours, with David Villa scoring the only goal just after the hour to send them through to the quarter-finals.

It had been a difficult ride for Portugal over the years against Spain, especially considering their first competitive meeting ended in a 9-0 defeat back in qualifying for the 1934 World Cup, and prior to the UNL succes, they had just one competitive victory to shout about.

That came on home soil at Euro 2004, when Nuno Gomes netted the solitary goal that knocked Spain out in the group stages, while Portugal progressed from Group A, along with Greece, who eventually beat them in the final.