Futsal Finalissima 2026: Spain Edge Portugal 8-7 on Penalties After Late Equaliser

Spain are through to the final of the Futsal Finalissima 2026 after beating holders Portugal 8-7 on penalties in a semi-final that showed the five-a-side game at its dramatic best. The European champions, the form team in world futsal, trailed 2-1 with less than a minute left at Arena Niterói before Sergio González forced a shoot-out — and veteran goalkeeper Jesús Herrero saved two penalties to send Spain through.

Portugal, with six of the side that won the first Finalissima in 2022, had the better of the early chances, Rúben Góis striking a post, while at the other end Spain forced André Correia into a number of saves. Late in the half Góis was sent off, but Portugal survived the two minutes a player short and the sides went in level at 0-0.

Raya strikes, Portugal hit back

Sixteen seconds after the restart, José Raya drove forward and squeezed a shot in via a deflection to put Spain ahead. The lead lasted only six minutes: Rúben Teixeira met a deep Pany Varela corner with a perfect half-volley to level. Then in the 33rd minute, Pany Varela slipped a pass down the left and Hugo Neves skipped past his marker to fire Portugal 2-1 in front.

Portugal looked set to defend that lead and reach a second straight Finalissima final. But with Spain pushing five players forward in the closing seconds, Gonzalo Santa Cruz back-heeled into the path of Mario Rivillos, whose cross was turned in at the far post by Sergio González with just 55 seconds left on the clock.

Herrero the hero in the shoot-out

The shoot-out went all the way to nine kicks each. Herrero denied Pany Varela early on, but André Correia stopped Adrián Rivera to keep Portugal alive and force sudden death. With the teams still level after eight attempts each, Ricardo Mayor converted for Spain — and Herrero denied Lúcio Jr to end Portugal’s reign as holders.

It was revenge for Spain, who lost the inaugural Finalissima final to Portugal on penalties in Buenos Aires in 2022. Spain had already beaten their Iberian rivals 5-3 in the Futsal EURO 2026 final in Ljubljana in February, and this win extends their hold over Portugal in the biggest games.

Spain will meet the winners of the second semi-final between hosts Brazil and Argentina in Sunday’s final at Arena Niterói (17:30 local time, 21:30 CET, 01:30 PKT on Monday). Portugal, meanwhile, face the losers of that tie in the third-place play-off on Sunday (14:30 local time, 18:30 CET, 22:30 PKT).