Going unbeaten in international football, where every side is measured by the FIFA World Ranking, is harder than it may first appear. In club football, managers and head coaches see their players almost every day, and so have the opportunity to embed their tactics and style of play into their players. National team managers, however, can go months between international breaks without overseeing a single game or training session. That's what makes a long run without defeat one of the sport's rarest achievements.

The longest runs belong to some of the greatest sides the game has seen. Several of them have won major tournaments along the way, and one turned a World Cup final into a record-breaking night. Some ended in famous upsets, and some came to a stop in games few people remember.

Here's a look at the top five longest unbeaten runs in men's international football history.

5 Spain: 35 games (2007-09)

Spain's golden generation started their 35-game unbeaten streak in February 2007, when Andrés Iniesta, one of the greatest midfielders in history, scored his first goal for the Spanish national team during a 1-0 win over England at Old Trafford. In a run initially started by head coach Luis Aragonés, La Roja entered the 2008 European Championship having failed to win only twice in their previous 16 games, with draws against Iceland and Finland.

After topping their group, Spain needed penalties to edge past Italy in the quarter-finals, before dismantling Russia 3-0 in the semis. Fernando Torres' 33rd minute strike made the difference in the final against Germany as the Spanish won their first major trophy in 44 years and their second Euros title. With the likes of Carles Puyol, Xavi and David Villa at his disposal, new boss Vicente del Bosque maintained the run after taking over the national team following the tournament. Eventually, it was the USA who put an end to Spain's unbeaten run, with a 2-0 victory in the 2009 Confederations Cup semi-final, with goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.

4 Brazil: 35 games (1993-96)

Brazil share the fourth longest unbeaten run, having also lasted 35 games without defeat between 1993 and 1996. Rivaldo scored the only goal in a friendly against Mexico in December 1993 to start the run under coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. The Brazil national team entered the 1994 World Cup in the USA in good form, having not lost any of their last six games, including an 8-2 thrashing of Honduras just two weeks before the tournament.

Despite drawing their final group stage game against Sweden, Canarinho topped their group and dumped the host nation from the tournament in the Round of 16. Victories over the Netherlands and Sweden in the knockouts set Brazil up for a World Cup final against Italy. With the teams stuck at 0-0 after extra time, the game was decided by penalties, with Italy's Roberto Baggio missing the decisive spot kick to gift the title to the South-American nation.

Mario Zagallo took over the reins as coach of the national team, and carried the unbeaten streak through the 1995 Copa América. Although his side did lose the final to hosts Uruguay, that was only through penalties, meaning they were still unbeaten after extra time. Ironically, the nation whom the run started against also ended the run, with Mexico winning the Gold Cup final 2-0 in January 1996.

3 Argentina: 36 games (2019-22)

The first game of Argentina's 36-game unbeaten run would likely have been one that they didn't want to play. Having lost 2-0 to Brazil in the 2019 Copa América semi-finals, Argentina faced Chile for the third-place trophy, in what many view as a glorified friendly. However, it was only up from here, as they beat Chile 2-1 and started their unbeaten run.

Three years later, the run was still going strong as Argentina started their 2021 Copa América campaign. After topping their five-team group, Argentina dumped Ecuador and Colombia from the competition to set up a rematch of their 2019 semi-final against Brazil. Ángel Di María's first-half strike was enough to secure their first title in 28 years, and Lionel Messi, one of the greatest football players of all time, lifted his first senior international trophy.

Argentina's special run lasted right up until the first fixture of the next major tournament, having beaten Italy 3-0 in the 2022 Finalissima at Wembley, before falling to a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their first game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And whilst the end of such an impressive run would've been disappointing, the Argentina national side turned it around and won the tournament.

2 Italy: 37 games (2018-21)

Having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a 1-0 defeat to Portugal in September 2018 seemed an unlikely place for the Italian national team to turn their fortunes around, with the former European giants seemingly at rock bottom. And whilst their 1-1 draw with Ukraine that October didn't seem to be much of an improvement, it kickstarted what would be the second-longest unbeaten run in men's international football history.

Roberto Mancini managed to harness the experience of the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci ahead of the Euro 2020 competition and got the Italian national team in good form. After topping their group, they defeated Austria, Belgium and Spain on their way to a Wembley final against England, which they won on penalties.

Eventually, the run came to an end, with a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Nations League semi-final in October 2021, in what was the Azzurri's first competitive home defeat since 1999.

1 Spain: 43+ games (2024 onwards)

Just days after a 1-0 friendly loss against Colombia, Spain's record-breaking run began with a 3-3 draw against Brazil in March 2024. That summer, Luis de la Fuente's side put in a special performance at the 2024 European Championship. The Spanish national team won all seven of their games, including 2–1 wins over Germany and France on their way to a final against England, which they also won 2-1.

Similar results followed in the 2025 Nations League, as the Spaniards reached the final, and faced Portugal. Whilst they did lose that final, it was via penalties. Therefore, they were still unbeaten after extra time. Their 2026 World Cup campaign started disappointingly, with a goalless draw against Cape Verde. They then beat the likes of Portugal, Belgium and France on their way to what would be a record-breaking World Cup final against Argentina.

With the match goalless after 90 minutes, it was substitute Ferran Torres who broke the deadlock in the 104th minute. Spain managed to hold on, won their second World Cup, and broke Italy's record to make it 38-games unbeaten.