Spain Draws Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in 2026 World Cup Group — Opener Set for June 15 in Atlanta

pain Draws Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in World Cup 2026 — Tough Final Group Match Awaits Against Bielsa’s Side

Spain will face Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in the 2026 World Cup after a group-stage draw that handed La Roja one major threat and two must-win opponents. Uruguay, drawn from the most difficult pot, stands out as Spain’s biggest obstacle, while Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde are teams Spain is widely expected to beat in order to reach the knockout stage.

Uruguay remains a notoriously hard opponent: a two-time World Cup champion with a deep competitive identity. With star midfielder Federico Valverde leading the squad and Marcelo Bielsa on the touchline, the South Americans will arrive as a dangerous, unpredictable rival. Despite a recent 5–1 loss to the United States that triggered internal criticism, Uruguay’s pedigree makes them a threat regardless of form. Spain and Uruguay will meet in the final match of Group H, potentially deciding the group winner.

Spain will begin their campaign against Cape Verde on June 15, the fifth day of competition. Their first two matches will be held in Miami or Atlanta on June 15 and 21, with the third match taking place on June 26 in Guadalajara or Houston. FIFA will confirm the full schedule, stadium assignments and kickoff times on Saturday.

Finishing top of the group could be crucial. If Spain ends second in Group H, they may face Argentina in the first knockout round—a matchup both nations would prefer to avoid so early. If both Spain and Argentina win their groups, La Roja would instead meet a more favorable opponent such as Austria, Algeria or Jordan in the round of 32.

Group H
Spain (13 consecutive appearances, 17th overall / FIFA Rank: 1)
Cape Verde (First-ever appearance / FIFA Rank: 68)
Saudi Arabia (3 consecutive appearances, 7th overall / FIFA Rank: 60)
Uruguay (5 consecutive appearances, 15th overall / FIFA Rank: 16)

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https://as.com/futbol/mundial/un-coco-y-dos-cenicientas-para-espana-en-el-mundial-f202512-n/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

“Social Media Reactions”

Spain fans

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SierraLionCast
Spain’s biggest enemy is Spain. If we stay calm, we top this group easily.

　↳ GranadaNeon
　Exactly. Control the midfield and it’s done.

　↳ MarMenorGhost
　But one lapse in concentration and Uruguay punishes you.

　↳ PyreneesOrbit
　Saudi Arabia will sit deep and wait. Dangerous match.

　↳ CantabriaPulse
　If Yamal + Pedri link well, no one in this group can stop us.

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CrimsonCastilla
Honestly, Group H looks very manageable. Uruguay are struggling, Saudi Arabia aren’t that dangerous, and we just played the best football in the Euros.

　↳ IberianDawn
　Exactly. If we replicate even half of our Euro intensity, nobody in this group can keep up.

　↳ ValenciaOrbit
　People talk like Uruguay is some monster, but they conceded five to the U.S. recently.

　↳ GoldenLaRoja
　Saudi Arabia only scared Argentina once. They don’t have the structure to hurt Spain.

　↳ RiojaSage
　If we stay calm and clinical, this group is ours without drama.

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CatalanSolarflare
Spain might actually be the strongest team coming into this World Cup. Uruguay aren’t in their best moment and Saudi Arabia isn’t a tactical threat.

　↳ MadridPulse
　Agreed. Spain’s midfield alone is enough to dominate every match in this group.

　↳ AsturiasBlue
　If Yamal plays freely, this becomes a training session.

　↳ SevillaGlider
　Uruguay’s current chaos plays to our advantage.

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SierraRojaWings
Everyone keeps overthinking this group. Spain should finish first comfortably if we avoid our usual self-destruction.

　↳ CantabriaNova
　Exactly. Our only real enemy is ourselves.

　↳ GranadaLion
　Cape Verde might be enthusiastic, but technically we’re miles ahead.

　↳ ToroIberico
　Uruguay used to be scary. That word is past tense now.

　↳ EbroMariner
　Saudi Arabia will sit deep and pray. Spain doesn’t lose to that.

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HerculesLuz
Spain’s Euros level was championship-tier. Group H is a soft landing by comparison.

　↳ SolarMurcia
　Rodri dictates the match → Spain wins the match. Simple math.

　↳ LaRojaMeteor
　Uruguay can press all they want, but they can’t press without the ball.

　↳ CrimsonIberia
　Saudi Arabia isn’t touching our defensive structure. Not with Laporte + Rodri.

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CastillaRadiant
If Spain plays with confidence, we’re too strong for this group. Uruguay need rebuilding, Saudi Arabia won’t surprise us, and Cape Verde lack experience.

　↳ NavarraSpectrum
　Exactly—Spain in tournament mode is unstoppable.

　↳ IbericComet
　People overrate Uruguay because of their history. Current form matters more.

　↳ AtléticoAzure
　Saudi Arabia won one historic match, and everyone suddenly fears them. Relax.

　↳ MediterraneoStar
　Spain should aim for 9 points. No excuses.

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RedSunCortes
Uruguay is the only team that genuinely worries me. Bielsa always has something chaotic prepared.

　↳ MadridMolecule
　If Valverde wakes up inspired, he can destroy anyone. We need Rodri at his absolute best.

　↳ SevillaQuartz
　Spain always suffers against intense teams. Uruguay fits that profile perfectly.

　↳ YamalEnFuego
　People underestimate Cape Verde, but the real danger is losing points early.

　↳ CostaBravaEcho
　If we finish second and get Argentina… nightmare scenario.

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CrimsonAragon
We MUST win the group. Second place means Argentina or Croatia. No thanks.

　↳ MadridOrbit88
　Yeah, finishing second is basically the “hard mode” route.

　↳ LorcaSerpent
　Argentina vs Spain in Round of 32 would break my soul.

　↳ CordobaQuartz
　People forget Croatia is just as dangerous.

　↳ LaLigaLynx
　Win the group and everything opens up. Lose it and everything collapses.

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Uruguay fans

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SilverHarborLine
It would be the most Uruguay thing ever to beat Spain, draw with Saudi Arabia, and then somehow lose to Cape Verde.

　↳ NeonCliffRunner
　Honestly, that sounds completely plausible…

　↳ RustbeltVoyager
　Remember, Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in the last World Cup. And we’re absolute specialists in throwing away the dumbest games imaginable, so nothing would shock me lol.

　↳ HarborShadePilot
　Back in 2018, when we had a way stronger team, we barely scraped a 1–0 win near the end… tells you everything.

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IroncrestVoyager
If we can’t get out of this group, we might as well quit the sport entirely.

　↳ MarlinShadeEcho
　Not sure qualifying even helps that much… we’d end up facing Argentina, Croatia, or England anyway.

　↳ RiverlineCobalt
　They absolutely cooked us with those knockout matchups lol. In better years I’d fancy us against any of those three, but right now? We’re nowhere near that level.

　　　↳ SteadyTeaWalker
　　　Getting bounced in the round of 32 is basically the new “group stage exit.” Same disappointment, just later on the schedule.

　　　↳ MarlinShadeEcho
　　　They stuffed this tournament with a bunch of teams nobody’s ever heard of, so all the groups feel like filler. There isn’t a single one where you look and think, “damn, that’s tough.” The only real matchup on paper is England vs Croatia. The actual World Cup starts in the round of 32.

　↳ NordicWaveRunner
　Norway vs France is going to be amazing though.

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CrimsonDriftPilot
I have absolutely no clue how this is going to go. Uruguay might draw or beat Spain, and then Cape Verde could turn around and put five past us lol.

　↳ HarborFoxNode
　Cape Verde beats us 2–1, then we somehow beat Spain and smash Saudi Arabia right after. That’s exactly our vibe.

　↳ LumenShiftGrove
　If we can’t advance from this group, the federation might as well dissolve itself.

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SlateHorizonRider
Back in 1990 our group was Spain, Belgium, South Korea, and Uruguay. We made it to the round of 16 and Italy knocked us out.
We had ENZO, Ostolaza, Pato Aguilera, Fonseca, Chango Pintos Saldanha, Bengoechea, Manteca Martínez… an unreal squad.
In some alternate universe, we keep our recent tradition going: eliminating an African team in the groups and sneaking into the knockouts as first or second.

　↳ IronFerryCompass
　I remember in ’90 there was a rumor that during halftime of that 0–0 vs Italy, someone showed up with suitcases full of cash to get us to throw the match. No idea if it’s true, but that second half we didn’t play like ourselves at all.

　↳ KoreanMintPath
　Honestly, we weren’t playing anything resembling real football at that point anyway…

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RidgefallSparrow
Lamine and Pedri are going to dance around us in the most humiliating way imaginable.

　↳ CopperVantageLine
　I can already picture our defense trying to stop Lamine. Either we give away a penalty—if they even dare to touch him—or they just stand there watching him glide past.

　↳ MellowTideVector
　Just start throwing every shameless mind-game you can think of at him. Gently, obviously. Get in his head little by little.

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MarbleRidgeNomad
Saudi Arabia is going to knock us out, and deep down we all know it.

　↳ HarborDustRanger
　We lose to Spain, draw with Saudi Arabia, and beat Cape Verde by a single goal. Four points, finishing third, and ending up against Mexico or Canada in the round of 32… basically handing ourselves to the host nation’s path.

　↳ EchoLumenCrest
　This is easily the most accurate take so far. For me there are only two scenarios:
　• We finish with 2 points, drawing with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, and getting smashed by Spain
　• Or the scenario you mentioned — scraping through only to get bounced by a smaller team in the round of 32.
　It really feels like one of those two will happen.

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HarborDustFalcon
Honestly, if we just manage to beat Spain, I’ll go home happy.

　↳ CrimsonFurnaceWave
　We’re basically sitting in an oven at 300 degrees, and even our calculator — the one we rely on for qualifying math — is melting right next to us.

　↳ MapleIronVoyager
　I keep wondering who’s going to hammer in the final nails of our coffin… the Spaniards or the oil princes.

　↳ SkylineMarrow
　Man, I miss the 2010 Celeste. Without those bought-off referees, we could’ve been champions.
　And that Van Bommel karate kick to the chest — 1.92 meters of pure assault — and he gets a yellow? Seriously?

　　　↳ TideHollowCompass
　　　He should honestly be in jail today.

　↳ RustlineBreaker
　Does CR7 play for Saudi Arabia now?
　Jokes aside, the Saudis basically own half of FIFA (and the US for that matter), so at least we’ll have a solid excuse to complain we got robbed again.

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MarinerFluxGate
If we somehow fail to get through this group, we should retire from football entirely.
Anyone interested, I can teach Mahjong — it’s genuinely a fantastic game.

　↳ SilverEchoWisp
　Lmao that last part came completely out of nowhere. Loved it.

　↳ IronDeckVoyager
　Mahjong is actually great. Thanks to 100%-ing every Yakuza game, I’m probably somewhere around low-intermediate level at minimum.

　↳ RustGlowHarbor
　Wait wait wait— you platinumed the Yakuza games? Man, I tried to learn Mahjong, watched like seven tutorials, and still have no idea what’s going on.

　↳ CrimsonKoiStrike
　No one’s taking ron or tsumo away from us, that’s for sure.

　↳ WanderSignal243
　Mate, torta fritas, and a clean riichi — perfection.

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FrostlineUrso
Didn’t they say Argentina would be placed in Group J so they couldn’t cross paths with Spain?

　↳ SlateHorizonRider
　When it comes to picking the actual “Group of Death,” I’m torn between Group I (France, Senegal, Norway, plus one TBD) and Group L (England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama).

　↳ TroncaLumen
　Just waiting for people to start officially calling it the Group of Death.