The 2026 FIFA World Cup is placing some pressure on tournament favorites. Matchday two in Group H will feature Spain, on the hunt for their first win and goal of the tournament, and Saudi Arabia, aiming to build on their opening draw against Uruguay. The two sides will square off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday.
Spain entered the competition as top contenders, and maybe the weight of expectation in their opener led to an early reality check. They head into Matchday 2 off a scoreless draw against World Cup debutants Cabo Verde, and struggled to find the back of the net. The silver lining was the reintroduction of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams into the lineup as substitutes by head coach Luis de la Fuente.
De la Fuente is expected to keep pressure off his players in the build-up to the next match, but Yamal’s impact could see him get more minutes against Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has momentum from their 1-1 draw against Uruguay last week. The Green Falcons earned the hard point thanks to some key saves by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais. Head coach Georgios Donis has only been on the sidelines with the team since April, but a big opening day result and a few injury interruptions will have the group feeling capable of another upset, especially if Spain’s scoring woes haunt them into Matchday two.
How to watch Spain vs. Saudi Arabia
Date: Sunday, June 21 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Ga.
TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Spain -1000 | Draw +1000 | Saudi Arabia +2200
Spain vs. Saudi Arabia predicted starting lineups
Spain: Unai Simon; Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo
Saudi Arabia: Mohammed Al-Owais; Saud Abdulhamid, Hassan Al Tambakti, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Moteb Al Harbi; Abu Al Shamat, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Mohamed Kanno, Salem Al-Dawsari; Firas Al Buraikan, Musab Al-Juwayr
Spain vs. Saudi Arabia pick, prediction
It won’t be easy, but if Yamal Lamine can go 45 minutes and get the start, it’ll be a much different energy for Spain against an organized side. Pick: Spain 1, Saudi Arabia 0
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