Spain do not have to win when they take on Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday, owing to the bloated format at World Cup 2026, but improvements in attack will be a must.
Having been held by Cape Verde in one of the great World Cup shocks on Monday, Luis de la Fuente will be hoping star man Lamine Yamal can contribute more than 19 minutes off the bench as he battles back from a hamstring injury.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, battled to a creditable draw against Uruguay in their opener and have no reason to feel overawed having beaten Argentina at the last tournament in Qatar.
Here’s everything you need to know about this World Cup 2026 game:
When is Spain v Saudi Arabia?
Spain and Saudi Arabia is at 5pm BST on Sunday 21 June (12pm ET) in Atlanta.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the match free-to-air on BBC1 with coverage starting at 4:30pm BST. It can also be live-streamed on BBC iPlayer.
Team news
The big news from Spain is that Lamine Yamal starts against Saudi Arabia. He may not play the full match, but he starts a World Cup game for the first time after recovering from his hamstring injury. He is one of four changes from the 0-0 against Cape Verde. Tottenham’s Pedro Porro replaces Marcos Llorente at right back, Dani Olmo comes in for Fabian Ruiz in midfield, Yamal takes the place of Ferran Torres, and Alex Baena is given the nod ahead of Gavi on the left, with Nico Williams still unavailable for the European champions.
Saudi Arabia could name an unchanged line-up.
Confirmed line-ups
Spain XI: Simon; Pedro Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Olmo, Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Oyarazabal, Alex Baena.
Saudi Arabia XI: Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Al-Amri, Al-Harbi, Ali Lajami; N Al-Dawsari, Al-Juwayr, Al-Khaibari; Al-Buraikan, S Al-Dawsari
