Spain vs Saudi Arabia LIVE
Spain thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia to record their first win of the 2026 World Cup in style. The European champions were held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in a surprise opening result, but Luis de la Fuente’s men roared back with some vengeance to secure all three points here.
Mikel Oyarzabal was the standout star as he netted a brace, but Lamine Yamal stole the headlines on his return to the starting lineup, netting inside 10 minutes of his first start since returning from a hamstring injury that threw his participation in Canada. Mexico and the United States into doubt. The Barcelona star tucked home from the back post to open the scoring, before false nine Oyarzabal made it two and three on 21 and 24 minutes respectively.
It was four in the second half when Hassan Altambakti put through his own net, giving the Spanish a big three points that practically guarantees them a place in the knockout stages. They face Uruguay in their final Group H match in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Spain vs Saudi Arabia latest updates
- GOAL! Own goal makes it four
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
19:13 , Oli Gent
Spain decimated Saudi Arabia 4-0 to secure their first win of World Cup 2026 at the second attempt.
Luis de la Fuente’s men were held to a stunning goalless encounter by Cape Verde and their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozhinha in their opening match, but the European champions showed no signs of repeating that here, ripping through their Middle Eastern opponents to move to four points in Group H.
FT: Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
19:03 , Ronan Sullivan
That was more like it from Spain.
An early goal from Yamal and a quickfire Oyarzabal double put Spain out of sight within half an hour.
Al Tambakti’s own goal early in the second half compounded Saudi Arabia’s misery, while Ferran Torres was robbed of a late goal after VAR adjudged him offside after a lengthy delay.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente will be a happy man: his side, you’d expect, are pretty much through.
FT: Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
19:01 , Ronan Sullivan
FULL-TIME! Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
19:00 , Ronan Sullivan
90+7 mins: There’ll be another couple of minutes owing to that VAR kerfuffle.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:58 , Ronan Sullivan
90+5mins: GOAL DISALLOWED.
Torres is offside.
That took so, so long; he looked offside straightaway.
Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia
18:57 , Ronan Sullivan
90+5: Still waiting! Give it or don’t!
Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia
18:56 , Ronan Sullivan
90+4mins: With the naked eye, Torres looks off - but we’ll see.
Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia
18:55 , Ronan Sullivan
90+3min: Fabian Ruiz had squared into Torres for a tap-in.
Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia
18:55 , Ronan Sullivan
90+2mins: VAR looking at the offside here...
Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia
18:55 , Ronan Sullivan
90+2: Goal! Torres scores Spain’s fifth in added time.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:54 , Ronan Sullivan
90+1: Kanno is fine as he comes back on with a bandage and replacement for his bloodied shirt.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:53 , Ronan Sullivan
Six minutes added on at the end.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:53 , Ronan Sullivan
90mins: Nasser Al Dawsari comes off for Khalid Al Ghannam.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:52 , Ronan Sullivan
89mins: Kanno seems worse for wear: he’s still down, receiving treatment for a cut.
Hopefully no concussion or serious injury for either player.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:50 , Ronan Sullivan
87mins: Just when things couldn’t get any worse, two Saudi players clash heads.
Both Kanno and Al Hejji receive treatment.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:48 , Ronan Sullivan
85mins: Maybe Saudi Arabia should’ve worn their green kits today.
Instead, they’re wearing white.
As you can tell from these updates - this game is petering rather slowly out.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:45 , Ronan Sullivan
82mins: Williams swings in a lovely ball, which Altambakti nearly diverts into his net again, but Al Owais saves well.
He was fouled by Jeremy Pino, the referee adjudges.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:44 , Ronan Sullivan
81mins: Al Hamdann has a shot, which Simon saves comfortably.
Second shot on target for the Saudis.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:42 , Ronan Sullivan
Luis de la Fuente has done a great job of turning this team around since that 0-0 with Cape Verde.
And he’s been able to take off Yamal and Oyarzabal.
A perfect day.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:40 , Ronan Sullivan
76mins: Mikel Oyarzabal and Lamine Yamal are back on the sidelines in their training gear, watching on.
Let’s see if their teammates can extend an already huge lead.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:37 , Ronan Sullivan
73mins: Nico Williams will be looking to get on the scoresheet with a first World Cup goal.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:34 , Ronan Sullivan
71mins: Fabian Ruiz on for Pedri. That’s all of Spain’s five changes.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:32 , Ronan Sullivan
69mins: Hydration break.
This one is acceptable - its about 28 degrees Celsius in Atlanta, Georgia.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:30 , Ronan Sullivan
As it stands Spain are top of Group H before Uruguay play Cape Verde at 11pm tonight.
I’m not sure if they’ll remain top if one of those teams win, as the table is now decided on head-to-head, rather than goal difference.
Hope that helps.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:28 , Ronan Sullivan
65mins: Ferran Torres pokes wide after Mikel Merino’s slide-rule pass.
Pretty poor miss.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:26 , Ronan Sullivan
63mins: You would have to be one of the most committed optimists in the world to not think this game is done.
I’m sure the Saudi fans would like a goal though.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:24 , Ronan Sullivan
61mins: Its Alex Baena and Dani Olmo off for Mikel Merino and Nico Williams.
A huge roar for Williams, who’s also coming back from an injury.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:23 , Ronan Sullivan
60mins: Substitute Kanno catches Rodri’s nose and is booked.
Rodri’s receiving treatment, while Nico Williams gets ready to come on.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:21 , Ronan Sullivan
58mins: Gianni Infantino is looking on from the stands.
Unfortunately.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:17 , Ronan Sullivan
54mins: Lots of space opening up now, as Saudi Arabia either tire or give up.
Can’t really blame them.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:16 , Ronan Sullivan
53mins: Pedro Porro’s shot is saved and so is Ferran Torres’ header!
Cubarsi, 19, slipped the Spurs defender through with a great through-ball.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:14 , Ronan Sullivan
51mins: Can Spain break their record World Cup win of 7-0?
They beat Costa Rica by that margin in Qatar four years ago.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
18:12 , Ronan Sullivan
49mins: Al Owais saves from Cucurella, but it deflects in of Altambakti.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
18:11 , Ronan Sullivan
4-0! An own goal as a corner reaches Cucurella, whose fierce volley bounces around a couple of defenders before nestling in the net.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
18:08 , Ronan Sullivan
46mins: Second half begins.
HT Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
18:08 , Ronan Sullivan
Mohamed Kanno and Abdullah Al Hamddan on for Al Khaibari and Al Juwayr.
HT Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
18:07 , Ronan Sullivan
Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres are set to come on for Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal. All in a day’s work for those two.
HT Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
18:00 , Ronan Sullivan
Oyarzabal is now the 2nd player to assist and score two goals in a World Cup game since 1966!
He’s one for the record books, this chap.
HT Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:55 , Ronan Sullivan
Oyarzabal has an assist and two goals in the first forty-five minutes.
Against Cape Verde, he was the first player since 1966 to have no touches in the opening half hour of a World Cup game.
Saudi Arabia 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:52 , Ronan Sullivan
Half-time: Spain have obliterated Saudi Arabia thanks to a Lamal opener and a quickfire Oyarzabal double.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:51 , Ronan Sullivan
45+5mins: A quiet end to the first half, but Oyarzabal’s attempt a volley catches Salem Al Dawsari and is blown up for a foul.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:46 , Ronan Sullivan
Five minutes of added time.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:44 , Ronan Sullivan
44mins: Saudi Arabia have their first corner of the game!
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:42 , Ronan Sullivan
41mins: Quite a funny moment as Cubarsi clears despite Simon’s presence behind.
Cubarsi falls onto Simon, who pushes the 19-year-old off him like pushing off an unruly dog.
All fine as Simon gives Cubarsi a little pat.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:40 , Ronan Sullivan
40mins: Centre-back Al Amri looks shell-shocked.
If he has a white flag in his sock - he should probably wave it.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:39 , Ronan Sullivan
38mins: Relentless pressure from La Roja, as they pass around Saudi Arabia’s penalty area.
Porro’s clipped ball is over everyone, as they recycle the ball again and the Green Falcons desperately try to clear.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:37 , Ronan Sullivan
36mins: Woodwork! Almost an Oyarzabal hat-trick!
Al Owais passes to Oyarzabal on the left-side of the area, and his trivela clips the bar.
Yamal then cuts inside and stings Al Owais’ palm.
He then cuts inside again and misses the target!
So many chances for Spain here! They should be 6-0 up!
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:36 , Ronan Sullivan
35mins: Saudi Arabia have a shot as centre-back Al Amri tries his luck from about eighty yards, but Simon is untroubled.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:35 , Ronan Sullivan
34mins: Saudi Arabia venture forward through Al Harbi, but its snuffed out.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:32 , Ronan Sullivan
32mins: Saudia Arabia will be hoping to avoid the record 8-0 defeat they suffered in 2006 at the hands of hosts that year Germany.
It’s not looking good.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:31 , Ronan Sullivan
30mins: Yellow card for Salem Al-Dawsari for a foul on Porro: the Saudi Arabia caught the defender’s toe.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:29 , Ronan Sullivan
29mins: Back under way after a hydration break. Here’s Oyarzabal’s second.
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:25 , Ronan Sullivan
25mins: Cucurella and Olmo combine to find Oyarzabal at the back post to head in!
What a turnaround from that draw with Cape Verde!
Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
17:24 , Ronan Sullivan
ANOTHER FOR OYARZABAL! RAMPANT!
Spain 2-0 Saudi Arabia
17:23 , Ronan Sullivan
22mins: Quite a scrappy goal from the corner: Olmo’s shot bounces up for Laporte, who nods it onto Oyarzabal, and his volley beats Al Owais.
Spain 2-0 Saudi Arabia
17:22 , Ronan Sullivan
GOAL! 2-0 to Spain as Oyarzabal pokes in!
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:21 , Ronan Sullivan
21mins: Lajami makes a last-ditch tackle on Oyarzabal, who is involved in almost everything Spain do.
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:20 , Ronan Sullivan
19mins: Oyarzabal is slipped through and slides a cross past the onrushing ‘keeper, but no one’s there.
A lot more active from the Real Sociedad man.
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:18 , Ronan Sullivan
17mins: Oyarzabal then swings his right foot at a shot, and Al Owais makes a save.
The Mexican wave has already started!
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:17 , Ronan Sullivan
17mins: Yamal sends in a cross to the near post for Olmo but it evades his Barcelona teammate.
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:14 , Ronan Sullivan
14mins: Having scored, they’ve already vastly improved on that Cape Verde performance.
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:12 , Ronan Sullivan
11mins: Oyarzabal crossed to the back post for Lamal to slide in.
It was a great cross from Oyarzabal, who now has an assist in 11 minutes today, after having no touches in half an hour against Cape Verde!
Spain 1-0 Saudi Arabia
17:11 , Ronan Sullivan
GOAL!!!!! Yamal scores!!!
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:11 , Ronan Sullivan
10mins: Porro sends one over after Lamal teed him up.
It’s Porro’s first major tournament for Spain.
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:10 , Ronan Sullivan
7mins: Saudi Arabia definitely on the back foot here, as Abdulelah Al-Amri makes a diving header to clear.
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:07 , Ronan Sullivan
6mins: Pedro Porro, who replaced Marco Llorente in the starting XI today, looks dangerous.
He drills in a cross and the combination between him and Lamal could be vital today.
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:05 , Ronan Sullivan
4mins: Moteb Al Harbi struggles to prevent Lamal from cutting inside and shooting, but his effort is off target.
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:03 , Ronan Sullivan
3mins: They play it short and it comes to nothing. Bright start from Spain.
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:03 , Ronan Sullivan
2mins: Pedro Porro sends a beautiful diagonal to Baena, whose shot is deflected out for a corner. Yamal to take...
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:02 , Ronan Sullivan
1min: Huge cheers as Yamal gets on the ball, before jinking inside and crossing.
He’s electric!
Spain 0-0 Saudi Arabia
17:01 , Ronan Sullivan
KICK-OFF! Here we go.
Why don't Spain sing their national anthem?
16:58 , Ronan Sullivan
It has no words! The lyrics from ‘La Marcha Real’ were removed because of an association with former dictator General Franco and nobody’s been able to agree on a new version.
The more you know.
Here they come...
16:54 , Ronan Sullivan
Both teams emerge from the tunnel as kick-off fast approaches.
15 minutes until kick-off
16:46 , Ronan Sullivan
The players have gone back inside, the crowd is filling up and we’re almost ready to here in Atlanta.
Help me, Lamine Yamal - you're our only hope
16:35 , Ronan Sullivan
A lot of Spain’s hopes today - and for the tournament - rest on this young man’s shoulders.
He’s only 18.
'Good thing it isn't Cape Verde!'
16:25 , Ronan Sullivan
A sense of humour from this Spain fan, despite his rather dour expression.
Warm-ups
16:21 , Ronan Sullivan
Both teams now warming up on the pitch.
The crowd cheers as they catch sight of their favourite players.
Lamine Yamal receives the biggest one as his face appears on the big screens.
This is his first World Cup start.
Operation clean sheet
16:12 , Ronan Sullivan
Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais is out first to warm up.
Probably sensible, considering the onslaught he’s about to face.
Saudi hope?
16:05 , Ronan Sullivan
This young Saudi Arabia fan was not born when they last got beyond the group stage.
That was USA 1994 when they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Sweden.
Another Spain embarrassment imminent?
15:55 , Ronan Sullivan
This fan looks happy now, but let’s see how he is after 90 minutes...
Spain have to get a win today.
Confirmed: Saudi Arabia starting XI
15:46 , Ronan Sullivan
Saudi Arabia’s starting XI has just been announced:
Alowais; Saud, Alamri, Altambakti, Lajami; Moteb, Alkhaibari, Nasser; Musab, Salem, Feras
Just over an hour until kick-off.
Pitch inspection!
15:40 , Ronan Sullivan
A group of Spain players inspect the pitch: I can identify Pedri, Marcos Lllorente and Ferran Torres.
Game-changer?
15:35 , Ronan Sullivan
Before the match, Yamal said: “It's not the right time to play a full match yet – but I can play for as many minutes as the manager wants.”
Clearly the manager wants as many from Yamal as possible, who is pictured arriving below.
Four changes for Spain
15:33 , Ronan Sullivan
Luis de la Fuente has made quite a few changes there, including the surprise inclusion of Lamine Yamal from the start.
He drops Gavi, Ferran Torres, Marcos Llorente and Fabian Ruiz to the bench.
Yamal, Pedro Porro, Alex Baena and Dani Olmo come in.
BREAKING: Yamal starts!
15:31 , Ronan Sullivan
Lamine Yamal starts for Spain as they confirm their starting XI:
Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Olmo, Pedri; Yamal, Baena, Oyarzabal
Viva La Roja?
15:28 , Ronan Sullivan
Spain fans are present and correct in Atlanta.
An hour and a half until kick-off.
Where is today's match being played?
15:23 , Ronan Sullivan
The venue for this second round of Group H is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Saudia Arabia arrive!
15:18 , Ronan Sullivan
Last time out: Saudi Arabia
15:14 , Ronan Sullivan
The Green Falcons (great nickname) secured a respectable 1-1 draw against Uruguay in their opener.
Abdulelah al-Amri opened the scoring after a Fernando Muslera spill and the Saudis nearly hung on to secure another Group H shock - but Maximiliano Araujo’s 81st-minute goal prevented that.
With that and Spain’s draw with Cape Verde the group is deadlocked at one point apiece.
Last time out: Spain
15:10 , Ronan Sullivan
A 0-0 draw against Cape Verde was a huge embarrassment for 2010 winners Spain.
Vozinha, 40, was the story of the match: he made seven saves to keep Luis de la Fuente’s side out and - more importantly - he now has almost 15 million Instagram followers. Before the game, it was hovering at the 50,000 mark.
Mikel Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres were ineffectual up top: Oyarzabal was the first player since 1966 to not record a touch in the opening half hour of a World Cup game, while Torres hit the bar from four yards out.
Failure to win today does not bode well for their chances of going deep into this tournament - despite their favourites tag.
Predicted Spain XI
15:01 , Ronan Sullivan
Lamal is unlikely to start. Ahead of this match the wonderkid said: “It's not the right time to play a full match yet – but I can play for as many minutes as the manager wants.”
If Nico Williams is fully fit, he is likely to replace Gavi on the left, despite an injury-hit campaign at Athletic Club, but Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal should remain in the starting XI.
Predicted Spain XI (4-3-3): Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Fabian; Torres, Oyarzabal, Williams
Spain vs Saudi Arabia head-to-head
14:56 , Ronan Sullivan
These two sides met at the 2006 World Cup in Germany: Juanito scored in a 1-0 win for a Spain side featuring 2010 winners Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta.
Their other two meetings were friendlies in 2010 and 2012 - Spain won both.
Could today be the day Saudi Arabia break their duck? We’ll see.
Spain wins: 3
Saudi Arabia wins: 0
Draws: 0
Standard Sport prediction
14:51 , Ronan Sullivan
Spain cannot afford anything other than a win here even if it doesn't immediately rule them out of reaching the knockouts.
A win over Uruguay in the final group game could still see La Roja through, but if they drew against both Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia - how could they expect to beat Marcelo Bielsa’s men?
We do not see the Spaniards slipping up anyway. One of Williams and Yamal should start to power their stuttering attack to a much-needed victory.
Spain to win, 3-1.
Saudi Arabia early team news
14:46 , Ronan Sullivan
Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored in Saudi Arabia’s famous 2-1 win over Argentina in Qatar 2022, could contribute to another giant-killing here.
Abdulelah Al Amri scored their only goal in the Uruguay draw and will want to net again.
Saudi Arabia squad: Mohammed Al Owais, Nawaf Al Aqidi, Ahmed Al Kassar, Abdulelah Al Amri, Hassan Tambakti, Jehad Thikri, Ali Lajami, Hassan Kadesh, Saud Abdulhamid, Mohammed Abu Al Shamat, Ali Majrashi, Moteb Al Harbi, Nawaf Boushal, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Mohammed Kanno, Abdullah Al Khaibari, Ziyad Al Johani, Nasser Al Dawsari, Musab Al Juwayr, Alaa Al Hajji, Salem Al Dawsari, Khalid Al Ghannam, Ayman Yahya, Firas Al Buraikan, Saleh Al Shehri, Abdullah Al Hamdan.
Spain early team news
14:32 , Ronan Sullivan
Young wingers Lamine Yamal, 18, and Nico Williams, 23, both came off the bench in Spain’s draw with Cape Verde after suffering late-season injuries. Luis de la Fuente will hope he can start at least one of them - if not both.
Unai Simon will continue to start in goal, despite David Raya’s excellent performances for Arsenal this season.
Spain squad: Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Rodri, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Pedri, Gavi, Fabian Ruiz, Alex Baen, Yeremy Pino, Victor Munoz, Mikel Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Borja Iglesias.
Hello and welcome!
14:30 , Oli Gent
... to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Spain’s second World Cup group stage match against Saudi Arabia.
The European champions are looking for their first win of the tournament after they were surprisingly held by Cape Verde in their opener.
Stay tuned for all the updates, with kick off at 5pm BST.
How to watch Spain vs Saudi Arabia
14:30 , Ronan Sullivan
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BBC One with coverage starting at 4.30pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via BBC iPlayer or the channel’s website.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with BBC iPlayer and their websites.
