Spain's rivals and group stage World Cup schedule confirmed

The 2026 FIFA World Cup already has the 12 groups for the initial phase, which will be played from June 11 to 27. Awaiting the official schedule, which will be published this Saturday, and the definition of the last six qualifiers, via playoffs, Spain already knows the four rivals it will face in the first round.

Just like in 2010, La Roja will be seeded in group H. This time, the national team's rivals will be Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde, three teams against whom Spain has never lost in international matches. The clash against the 'charrúas', theoretically the most difficult, will be the last of the group stage.

Cape Verde, Spain's rival in their debut

Luis de la Fuente's team will debut against **Cape Verde**, one of the debutant teams and one that has never faced Spain in friendlies or official tournaments. After that, the reigning European champions will play against **Saudi Arabia**, a very competitive team that managed to surprise Argentina in their debut in Qatar 2022, although Hervé Renard's team did not advance to the round of 16

The two teams faced each other in the Germany World Cup in 2006, with La Roja winning by a landslide (4-0) in the group stage. Subsequently, the National Team also won two friendly matches played in 2010 (3-2) and 2012 (5-0).

Finally, Spain will close Group H against Marcelo Bielsa's **Uruguay** and Ronald Araujo. La Celeste did not have a positive end to 2025 (they lost 5-1 to the United States in November), but they remain one of the most powerful South American teams.

The two teams have faced each other twice in World Cups (1950 and 1990), with both matches ending in draws (2-2 and 0-0). The last time Spain faced Uruguay in a FIFA tournament was in 2013, in the now-defunct Confederations Cup. La Roja won 2-1 in the group stage.

Group H will play its matches in the venues of Miami, Atlanta, and Houston (United States) and Guadalajara (Mexico). Spain's debut will take place on June 15 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Spain's World Cup Group Stage Schedule

1. June 15, 2026: Spain vs. Cape Verde. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (time to be confirmed).

2. June 21, 2026: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (time to be confirmed).

3. June 26, 2026: Uruguay vs. Spain. NRG Stadium in Houston (time to be confirmed).

Spain could face Argentina in the World Cup Round of 16

Tom Brady shows Spain's ballot in the draw

Beyond facing a group that is, in theory, affordable, the draw portends a difficult path for Spain from the round of 16 onwards. Group H will cross paths with Group J in the first knockout stage.

This group is comprised of Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, with the Albiceleste and reigning world champions as the main favorite. If La Roja were to finish second in their group, they would have a high probability of facing Argentina in the next phase.

On the contrary, if both selections live up to their favoritism and finish as leaders of their zones, they could only face each other in a hypothetical final. Spain and Argentina still need to schedule the 'Finalissima' before the World Cup, in what would be the first head-to-head between Leo Messi and Lamine Yamal.

And so, La Roja could also face Austria in the next phase. In the round of 16, should they overcome the round of 32 as the winner of group H, Spain would face the winner of the tie between the second-place team in group K (Portugal and Colombia, the favorites) and the second-place team in group L (which could be Croatia or England).