Saudi Arabia suffered a 4-0 defeat against Spain in their second match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi fans had been hoping for another positive result after the Green Falcons kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against two-time world champions Uruguay.
But it was a completely different story at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, as Spain dominated from start to finish. After being held to a disappointing goalless draw by Cape Verde in their opening game, the European champions produced a much sharper attacking display, scoring three times in the first half before adding a fourth shortly after the restart.
Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis made two changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Uruguay, bringing Ali Lajami into a back three and starting Nasser Al Dawsari in midfield. Luis de la Fuente also made significant changes in Spain’s starting XI, with Pedro Porro, Lamine Yamal, Álex Baena and Dani Olmo all coming into the team.
Spain controlled possession from the start and needed only 10 minutes to break through. Mikel Oyarzabal was given too much space on the left and sent a low cross across the face of goal, where Lamine Yamal arrived at the far post for a simple tap-in.
Mohammed Al Owais prevented further damage soon after, rushing out to intercept Yamal’s pass before it could reach Álex Baena inside the box, before keeping out Oyarzabal’s long-range effort minutes later.
But Spain’s second goal arrived in the 21st minute. Saudi Arabia failed to clear the danger from a corner, Dani Olmo’s effort was blocked inside the area, and Oyarzabal reacted quickest to poke the ball home from close range.
Three minutes later, Oyarzabal struck again. Pedro Porro delivered a cross from the right, Marc Cucurella kept the move alive, and Olmo headed the ball towards Oyarzabal at the far post. The Spain striker made no mistake from close range to make it 3-0.
Oyarzabal almost completed his hat-trick before the break after a misunderstanding between Al Owais and Abdullah Al Khaibari, but his outside-of-the-foot effort struck the crossbar. Yamal also forced Al Owais into another save with a left-footed drive from distance, while Oyarzabal sent a low shot just wide after Pedri’s clever backheel opened up the Saudi defence.
The first half was largely one-way traffic, with Spain dominant in possession and Saudi Arabia offering only rare moments of threat, and failing to trouble La Roja goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Both coaches made changes at the break. Donis introduced the experienced Mohamed Kanno and forward Abdullah Al Hamdan, while De la Fuente withdrew Yamal and Oyarzabal, sending on Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres.
Spain added their fourth in the 49th minute. Baena’s corner found Cucurella at the far post, and although Al Owais blocked his volley, the ball rebounded off Hassan Al Tambakti and into the net for an own goal.
Al Owais continued to keep the score down, producing a strong block to deny Porro from inside the box after a fine through ball from Pau Cubarsí. He later came to Saudi Arabia’s rescue again when Tambakti almost turned Nico Williams’ cross into his own net, making a brilliant save to keep the ball out.
Saudi Arabia’s first real effort on goal did not arrive until the 81st minute, when Abdullah Al Hamdan tried a low shot from the edge of the box, but it lacked the power to trouble Simón.
Ferran Torres thought he had added a fifth in stoppage time after turning in Porro’s low cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR check.
Despite the heavy defeat, Saudi Arabia remain in contention for a spot in the knockout stage, if they defeat Cape Verde in their third and final group match.
Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Al Owais (GK)
Saud Abdulhamid
Hassan Al Tambakti
Ali Lajami
Abdulelah Al Amri
Alaa Hejji 60′
Moteb Al-Harbi
Nasser Al-Dawsari
Khalid Al Ghannam 90′
Abdullah Al Khaibari
Mohamed Kanno 46′
Musab Al-Juwayr
Abdullah Al Hamdan 46′
Salem Al-Dawsari
Firas Al-Buraikan
Mohamed Abu Al Shamat 60′
Spain
Unai Simón (GK)
Pedro Porro
Pau Cubarsí
Aymeric Laporte
Marc Cucurella
Pedri
Fabián Ruiz 70′
Rodri
Lamine Yamal
Yeremy Pino 46′
Dani Olmo
Mikel Merino 61′
Álex Baena
Nico Williams 61′
Mikel Oyarzabal
Ferran Torres 46′
