Spain face Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup 2026 group match on Sunday, with Lamine Yamal starting for the European champions. The match kicks off at 5pm BST in Atlanta.
Team News: Lamine Yamal Starts for Spain
Spain coach Luis De La Fuente made four changes from the side that drew with Cape Verde. Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena come into the starting XI, replacing Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi. The expected formation is 4-2-3-1, with Unai Simon in goal and Rodri anchoring midfield.
Saudi Arabia, coached by Georgios Donis, made two changes: Ali Lajami and Nasser Al Dawsari start, with Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno dropping out. They line up in a 5-3-2 formation, with captain Salem Al Dawsari leading the attack.
Spain Under Pressure After Cape Verde Draw
Spain's World Cup campaign began with a shock 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, despite dominating with 27 shots. Goalkeeper Vozinha was named man of the match after making seven saves. "If we had scored one, the game would have changed," said midfielder Martin Zubimendi. De La Fuente added: "There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow."
Spain cannot afford another slip-up, with Uruguay waiting in their final group game. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, held Uruguay to a 1-1 draw in their opening match and famously beat Argentina 2-1 in the 2022 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia Aim to Repeat 2022 Heroics
Donis acknowledged the challenge: "Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench. While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing." He added: "It's nice to see miracles in football, and we've seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it's great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren't drawing anything from that."
Heatwave Cancels Madrid Screening
A public screening of the match in Madrid's Plaza de Colón was cancelled due to extreme heat, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C. Spain's weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning for the Madrid region. Authorities urged fans to watch indoors in air-conditioned spaces.
Match Officials and Kick-off
The referee is Raphael Claus of Brazil. Kick-off is at 12pm local time (5pm BST, 1pm ET, 2am AEST on Monday).
