Spain football moved Lamine Yamal into the starting XI against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and Luis de la Fuente made four changes from the side that drew with Cape Verde. Spain kept the reshaped team sheet for a World Cup match that showed no sign of a settled selection.
Spain XI Against Saudi Arabia
Yamal was listed from the start in a Spain XI set out in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Pedro Porro was among the players brought in, and the rest of the named line-up was Simón, Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella, Pedri, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena and Oyarzabal.
That gives Spain a very different look from the draw with Cape Verde. Four changes in one selection call means de la Fuente is still adjusting the side rather than locking in a fixed group for World Cup 2026.
Saudi Arabia In 5-3-2
Saudi Arabia were listed in a 5-3-2, which placed Spain’s attacking players against a deeper defensive shape from the start. The contrast left Yamal in a central part of Spain’s plan, with the 4-2-3-1 built to give him and the other attackers more room between the lines.
That selection detail is the story here. Spain’s starting XI changed by four from the Cape Verde draw, and Yamal’s inclusion tells you where de la Fuente is putting the emphasis in a match that sits inside Sunday’s World Cup coverage.
World Cup Sunday Notes
The wider roundup also carried a separate World Cup note from Spain, where a match viewing was cancelled because of Madrid heat. It was a different part of the day’s coverage, but it sat alongside Spain’s lineup update and added to the sense of a busy tournament Sunday.
For Spain, the immediate takeaway is simple: the head coach made four changes and chose Yamal from the start against Saudi Arabia. That leaves the selection picture open enough for the next team sheet to matter just as much as this one.
