Spain looking formidable as Bielsa's Uruguay aim to dazzle in Group H

The 2026 World Cup gets underway on June 11th when co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa in the tournament opener. Over the coming days, Flashscore will preview every pool in depth, with this piece looking at Group H.

Spain

Best World Cup finish: Champions in 2010; Appearances: 17; World ranking: 2

Path to the Finals

Impeccable and commanding - that’s how you could describe La Roja’s qualifying campaign, with them averaging almost a rout per match against Georgia, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

They only dropped points with a draw against Turkey, conceding their first two goals in the final matchday, when everything was already decided in their favour.

Key player

In a squad as balanced as Spain’s, yet packed with established stars like Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, there’s one who shines brighter than anyone else in world football. A prodigy who keeps breaking records, who plays with the boldness of youth and a natural ease, as if he were playing with friends in the schoolyard. 

Lamine Yamal is a universal talent capable of winning games on his own. And at the World Cup, as long as he arrives in good physical shape, his quality threatens to be a lethal weapon for Spain. 

Editor’s view

There’s no doubt that Spain are one of the clear favourites to lift the World Cup and add a second star to their crest. They are the current European champions, runners-up in the Nations League, and are on a streak of 31 official matches unbeaten (penalty shootouts are not counted in this statistic).

All this with a style of play that has evolved from the tiki-taka that won them the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Luis de la Fuente’s side has a bit less possession in midfield, but more options and verticality on the wings, especially with Lamine Yamal, making them even more unpredictable.

If they can establish a solid centre-back pairing and Rodri returns to his best form, the sky will once again be the limit for La Roja.

Flashscore prediction

At the very least, they should reach the semi-finals; that’s the minimum expected from one of the strongest contenders in the tournament. Moreover, their recent results have rightfully earned them the favourite tag.

They play with joy, score plenty of goals, hardly give up chances, and have several tactical plans depending on how much verticality they need. Who can offer more?