Confirmed: Lamine Yamal and three other Barcelona players start for Spain vs Saudi Arabia | OneFootball

Spain will be hoping to get off the mark at the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they take on Saudi Arabia later today.

After being held to a shock 0-0 draw in their opening game by Cape Verde, La Roja, considered one of the favourites to win the tournament, are under pressure to deliver a positive result today.

And, keeping that in mind, manager Luis de la Fuente has made multiple changes to the starting XI for the Saudi Arabia clash.

Lamine Yamal starts

The biggest headline coming from the Spain camp is that Barcelona teenage superstar Lamine Yamal is back in the starting lineup.

Having recently recovered from a hamstring injury, the 18-year-old attacker only made a substitute appearance in the opener against Cape Verde. But given what’s at stake, De la Fuente has opted to reintegrate him into the team.

Lamine’s return on the right flank comes at the expense of his Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres, who endured a difficult outing in the opening game.

Another change sees Dani Olmo start for Spain, slotting in on the left flank, following an eye-catching cameo against Cape Verde. Olmo replaces another Barcelona star, Gavi, in the starting XI.

Pedri, who is an integral part of the La Roja setup, continues in the No. 10 role. The Spaniard, though, will need to proceed with caution as a booking today could rule him out of the next fixture against Uruguay.

Meanwhile, Pau Cubarsi continues at the heart of the Spain defence, where he partners with Aymeric Laporte, meaning Eric Garcia sits out once again.

Joan Garcia, Eric, Gavi, and Ferran are the four Barcelona players who are on the bench for Spain.