Who will Lamine Yamal's Spain face in FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage?

Since 1978, La Roja have fielded its national team in every World Cup.

Even though it is very early to predict anything, Spain are surely one of the favourites. They, however, will be looking to improve upon their round of 16 performances from the previous two editions (2018 & 2022). They have a capable squad, which is well evident by their triumphs in the 2023 UEFA Nations League and the 2024 UEFA European Championship.

Opponents in the group stage

• From Pot 2: Uruguay
• From Pot 3: Saudi Arabia
• From Pot 4: Cabo Verde

Their group H opponents include Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay will be looking to hurt Spain’s chances. They are the 1930 and 1950 winners.

Saudi football has been growing well domestically, particularly the Saudi Pro League. Their national team will be looking to get the job done in what will be their third consecutive appearance.

The debutants Cabo Verde will be the very first opponent of Spain in the group stage.

Spain coach & who got them here

Spain are sticking with the guy who handed them success in the 2023 and 2024 UEFA competitions – Luis de la Fuente. Under the guidance of coach De la Fuente, La Roja will be ready to fulfil their quest to land the World Cup title since their 2010 triumph in South Africa.

He had joined them after the 2022 Qatar WC defeat and has been at the helm ever since that year’s December. They did well in the 2026 qualification phase and will be seeking further glory.

When talking about impactful players, we are not naming the usual big suspects. But truly, Mikel Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad did a wonderful job in the European qualifiers.

He has now scored nine goals in his last nine international appearances. Expect Oyarzabal to be among the names in the final squad for the World Cup, along with the likes of Gavi, Pedri and Lamine Yamal.

How did Spain qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

La Roja qualified for the main competition after a sublime performance in Group E of the FIFA World Cup European qualifiers. So what was their record?

The national team from Spain managed to come out of their qualification group undefeated with a record of five wins and a draw. Having scored 21 goals while conceding just two, they surely will be closely studied by every opponent. Moreover, their sole draw came against Türkiye national football team on the final qualifier day.

A total of 16 points and a first-place finish gave them the ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

World Cup history

2026 WC will be their 17th appearance and 13th in succession!

Although La Roja have made many appearances, they didn’t quite manage to land the major blow until 2010. Even after 16 appearances, that’s their only WC triumph in football history.

In the past two editions, 2018 and 2022, we saw them crash out of the round of 16 stage. With the 2024 Euro championship under their belt, the team from the UEFA Confederation, which has been ever-present in every WC edition since 1978, will be looking for further glory in 2026.

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