Lamine Yamal is confirmed in the Spain squadfor the duel against Saudi Arabia this Sunday (21), in the second round of Group H of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The young prodigy, who came on in the second half on his debut, starts playing and is Luis de la Fuente’s main weapon for the team’s reaction at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta.
Spain needs victory after the goalless draw with Cape Verde in the first round. Saudi Arabia, who drew 1-1 with Uruguay, arrive motivated and occupy the provisional second place in the group.
Spain line-up confirmed
Luis de la Fuente’s starting lineup, in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
- Spain (4-2-3-1):Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri (captain); Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Álex Baena; Mikel Oyarzabal.
Lamine Yamal, still in the process of recovering from a thigh injury, should have controlled minutes, but his presence among the starters reinforces the Spanish attack. La Roja dominated the debut with 27 shots, but lacked precision — something that the Barcelona youngster’s talent could help resolve.
Saudi Arabia line-up confirmed
Georgios Donis’ team must maintain the base that held Uruguay:
- Saudi Arabia (5-3-2):Mohammed Al-Owais; Saud Abdulhamid, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Ali Lajami, Moteb Al-Harbi; Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Musab Al-Juwayr, Salem Al-Dawsari (captain); Firas Al-Buraikan and another attacker.
Saudi Arabia should rely on tight marking and counterattacks to surprise favorite Spain.
Where to watch live
In Brazil, the game will be broadcast onDisney+, with complementary options on Prime Video and YouTube CazéTV. The ball rolls at 1pm (Brasília time).
Yamal as a key player for Spain
At 18 years old, Lamine Yamal arrives as one of the highlights of the Spanish generation. His speed and dribbling could destabilize the Saudi defense, which is coming off a good draw, but faces one of the most technical teams in the world (FIFA ranking #2 against #61).
A victory for Spain puts the team back on track in Group H. For Saudi Arabia, a point or more against La Roja would be a big step towards an unprecedented place in the knockout stages since 1994.
The referee is Brazilian Raphael Claus. The Atlanta stadium should offer good conditions for an open game.