Preview: Spain vs Saudi Arabia - prediction, team news, lineups

Spain will be aiming to record their first victory of the 2026 World Cup when they continue their Group H campaign against Saudi Arabia on Sunday afternoon.

La Roja drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their opening match of the competition, while Saudi Arabia shared the points with Uruguay in a 1-1 draw.

Match preview

To suggest that Spain were underwhelming in their tournament opener against Cape Verde last time out would be an understatement, with Luis de la Fuente's side struggling to get going, and they were ultimately made to settle for a point in a goalless draw.

As a result, there is pressure on one of the pre-tournament favourites to pick up all three points on Sunday, and Spain know that taking four points from their next two matches would secure a spot in the round of 32 as group winners or runners-up.

La Roja struggled for inspiration against Cape Verde until Lamine Yamal was introduced, and the national side will surely need their 18-year-old superstar in full flow this summer in order to stand a serious chance of winning the World Cup for just the second time.

Spain have been eliminated in the last-16 stage of the last two World Cups, while they went out in the group stage in 2014, so it has been an underwhelming period in this competition.

La Roja will be the heavy favourites against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and the European outfit will be facing the Green Falcons for the second time at the finals of a World Cup.

Spain recorded a 1-0 victory when the pair went to battle at the 2006 tournament, with Juanito scoring the only goal of the group-stage fixture.

Saudi Arabia have also lost two friendlies against Spain, so the national team are looking for a first-ever win over La Roja, and they can take inspiration from Cape Verde's performance.

Georgios Donis' side opened their tournament with a 1-1 draw against Uruguay; Abdulelah Al Amri sent Saudi Arabia ahead in the 41st minute of the contest, before Maxi Araujo came up with a late leveller for the South Americans.

All four teams in Group H are therefore on one point, so a lot could happen in the final two matchdays, and a positive result for Saudi Arabia in this contest would leave them in a strong position ahead of their final game in the section against Cape Verde.

Saudi Arabia's best performance at a World Cup came in 1994, when they reached the round of 16, but their last two tournaments (2018 and 2022) have ended in group-stage exits.

Spain World Cup form:

Spain form (all competitions):

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Saudi Arabia World Cup form:

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Team News

Yamal is expected to be introduced into the starting team on Sunday, with Spain confident that the teenager is now ready to feature from the first whistle.

The attacker played the final 19 minutes against Cape Verde, making his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury while representing Barcelona at the end of April.

Fellow forward Nico Williams could also be introduced into the XI following his late appearance against Cape Verde, with Ferran Torres and Gavi likely to drop to the bench.

Spain have no fresh injury problems, although Liverpool-bound Victor Munoz may again be unavailable for selection due to a hamstring issue.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, have not reported any injury problems ahead of the clash.

Abdulelah Al Amri was on the scoresheet last time out and will continue at the back, while there will be a spot in a wide area for the captain Salem Al-Dawsari, who has scored 27 times in 111 appearances for his national side.

Firas Al Buraikan is again in line to feature in the final third of the field, with the 26-year-old bidding to add to the 15 goals that he has registered for the Green Falcons.

Spain possible starting lineup:

Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, N Williams

Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup:

Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Al Tambakti, Al Amri, Al Harbi; Al Shamat, Al-Khaibari, Kanno, S Al-Dawsari; Al Buraikan, Al-Juwayr

We say: Spain 2-0 Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia are capable of making this a tough match for Spain, and we are expecting a very competitive match, but Yamal's likely start should mean that La Roja pick up all three points.

This is key information to consider if considering betting on the World Cup, and we’ve included it in our World Cup betting guide for the tournament.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.