Spain vs Saudi Arabia Preview

Sunday’s Group H clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium sees Spain take on Saudi Arabia, with both sides looking to build on opening draws in what remains a tightly packed group. Uruguay currently lead on goal difference, with all four teams level on one point after the first round of fixtures.

Spain’s tournament opener ended in a goalless draw at home to Cape Verde on 15th June, a result that left them without the win their performance perhaps deserved. Prior to that, they won 3-1 away to Peru in a pre-tournament friendly. Before that, they drew 1-1 at home to Iraq. Earlier in this run they drew 0-0 at home with Egypt, and in their oldest result here they beat Serbia 3-0 at home. La Roja have struggled to convert dominance into victories over this run but their squad depth and quality remain considerable.

Saudi Arabia also opened with a draw, sharing the points 1-1 at home with Uruguay on 15th June. Prior to that, they drew 0-0 at home to Senegal in a friendly. Before that, a 3-0 away win over Puerto Rico. Earlier in this run they lost 2-1 away to Ecuador, and in their oldest result here they were beaten 2-1 away by Serbia. The Green Falcons have shown they can compete with strong opposition for periods but their away form against quality teams remains a concern heading into this contest.

The head-to-head record is overwhelmingly in Spain’s favour, who have won all three previous meetings without a single draw or win for Saudi Arabia. Most recently, Spain won 5-0 at home in September 2012. In the previous encounter, Spain also won at home, 3-2, in May 2010.

Spain currently sit third on one point, level with Saudi Arabia and Uruguay but with an inferior goal difference of zero compared to Uruguay’s +1. A Spain win would move them to four points and into a strong position to top the group, while a Saudi Arabia win would represent a major upset and put them firmly in control of their own qualification destiny heading into the final round.

In the UK, this match is live on BBC One and available to stream via BBC iPlayer. In the United States, viewers can watch on FOX Network or fuboTV. Spanish fans can follow the action on DAZN Spain or TVE La 1, while Saudi viewers can tune in on beIN SPORTS CONNECT.

Lineups & Injuries

Spain (4-3-3) Simón, Cucurella, Laporte, Cubarsí, Llorente, Pedri, Rodri, Ruiz, Gavi, Ferran, Oyarzabal

Saudi Arabia (4-4-2) Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Al Amri, Al Tambakti, Al Shamat, Kanno, Al-Juwayr, Alkhaibari, Al-Dawsari, Al-Harbi, Al-Buraikan

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Group H Table

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Uruguay	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
2	Saudi Arabia	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
3	Spain	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
4	Cape Verde Islands	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1

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Spain Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	Spain	0-0	Cape Verde	World Cup	15.06.26
✅	Peru	1-3	Spain	Friendly	09.06.26
🤝	Spain	1-1	Iraq	Friendly	04.06.26
🤝	Spain	0-0	Egypt	Friendly	31.03.26
✅	Spain	3-0	Serbia	Friendly	27.03.26

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Saudi Arabia Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	Saudi Arabia	1-1	Uruguay	World Cup	15.06.26
🤝	Saudi Arabia	0-0	Senegal	Friendly	10.06.26
✅	Puerto Rico	0-3	Saudi Arabia	Friendly	06.06.26
❌	Ecuador	2-1	Saudi Arabia	Friendly	31.05.26
❌	Serbia	2-1	Saudi Arabia	Friendly	31.03.26

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Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Spain	5-0	Saudi Arabia	Friendly	07.09.12
Spain	3-2	Saudi Arabia	Friendly	29.05.10
Saudi Arabia	0-1	Spain	World Cup	23.06.06

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland	RTE 2, RTE Player, BBC One, BBC iPlayer
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo
Spain	DAZN Spain, TVE La 1, Movistar+
Saudi Arabia	beIN SPORTS CONNECT
France	M6, M6+, beIN Sports 1
Germany	SRF zwei, MagentaTV
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand
Canada	TSN1, TSN+, RDS
Italy	DAZN Italia