FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (21-06-2026)

Spain entered the World Cup as one of the tournament favourites, sitting 2nd in the FIFA rankings, but their opening match left more questions than answers.

A surprising 0-0 draw against Cape Verde was far from the statement many expected, especially considering the quality gap between the two sides.

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Spain’s recent results suggest they are not always as dominant as the FIFA rankings might indicate.

Besides the draw against Cape Verde, they were also held by Iraq (1-1), Egypt (0-0) and Turkey (2-2) over the last several months.

While they remain difficult to beat, large-margin victories against organised opponents have not been particularly common recently.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, have already shown they can compete against stronger opposition.

Their World Cup campaign started with a 1-1 draw against Uruguay, a result that should give them confidence heading into this match.

Before that, they also held Senegal to a 0-0 draw and recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Puerto Rico.

The gap in FIFA rankings is significant, with Spain ranked 2nd and Saudi Arabia 61st, but World Cups have a history of producing tighter contests than many expect.

Recent results suggest Saudi Arabia are capable of staying competitive against stronger opponents.

Spain remain the better side and should spend long periods in control, but their recent results do not suggest a team that is regularly blowing opponents away.

Saudi Arabia have lost by three or more goals only once across their last ten matches, while Spain have drawn four of their last seven games.

Spain failed to score against Cape Verde, while Saudi Arabia frustrated Uruguay for long stretches and came away with a deserved point.

Based on those performances, backing Saudi Arabia with a +2.5 handicap looks like the safer choice.