As the group stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws to a close, Group H could deliver a huge upset. With Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia battling it out at the same time, Uruguay need to avoid losing to heavyweights Spain to be in a with a chance of qualifying for the Round of 32.

Marcelo Bielsa's side have had an underwhelming start to the tournament. They have failed to beat both Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in their first two matches and now face Spain, the favourites to win the competition.

Whichever team finishes second in Group H will face Argentina in the Round of 32, who look like a serious contender yet again. Spain are still favourites to top the group despite a disappointing opening match.

After their demolition of Saudi Arabia last time out, La Roja will be confident of ending their group matches with a win and securing first place as they look to march on towards the trophy.

Spain really arrived at this summer's tournament in their last match as they defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0. Their game against Cape Verde ended 0-0 which came as a shock to football fans around the world and had people questioning whether La Roja were really favourites to lift the trophy.

However, the Spaniards put those doubts to bed as they thrashed a poor Saudi Arabia team. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring after ten minutes on his first World Cup start and Mikel Oyarzabal's brace before half-time saw Spain go into the break 3-0 up. An own goal from Hassan Al-Tambakti in the 49th minute gave Spain a 4-0 lead which they comfortably saw out to claim three points.

There is still a small chance that Spain could miss out on a spot in the Round of 32, but it is very unlikely. With a strong goal difference now and four points minimum, there place looks secured but they will look to build momentum as they approach the next round.

Uruguay's situation is much less comfortable. La Celeste have yet to get a win under their belts and struggled to dominate matches against lesser opposition. Despite scoring two goals against Cape Verde, they could have scored more and gave up goals due to silly mistakes.

Against Spain, they will have to make sure this doesn't happen. Differently to their other matches, they might not have lots of the ball which means they will have to be efficient in making chances and clinical when they arrive. 

The pressure is on them now and the momentum feels like it is against them. Failing to qualify out of this group, especially with the new format surrounding third-place teams, would be seen as a huge failure and could lead to more issues between the national team and manager Marcelo Bielsa.

Uruguay could set up differently in this match as they will not be able to control possession as comfortably as they have in the previous two matches. Whilst there has been no new injury concerns for Bielsa's side, changes could be made by the Argentinian and a more defensive approach could be adopted.

Spain have reported no new injuries either, while new Liverpool signing Victor Munoz edges closer to a full recovery. Lamine Yamal will most likely start after completing the first half of the last match. Similarly, Nico Williams played 30 minutes which could indicate he is closer to being ready to start for Luis de la Fuente's team again.

Maximiliano Araujo has been the standout performer for Uruguay this tournament and has scored once in both matches so far. Augustin Canobbio started on the opposite wing in the last match and also scored, which could see him also retain his spot in the line-up. Changes could be made in defence after a couple of errors but Bielsa will likely stick to a 4-2-3-1 shape, playing Federico Valverde behind Fedrico Vinas.

Bielsa will be looking to have his captain, Fede Valverde, more involved in this match. The Real Madrid star has been used as a midfielder and as a wide player in the opening matches but will surely be fielded in the centre this time around. The defence will have to be more solid and avoid mistakes as Spain could easily punish them. 

Spain might rotate slightly to give other players more minutes but it is expected that we will see Yamal start in attack with Oyarzabal again. Dani Olmo made a difference to the team against Saudi Arabia so could keep his place in the number 10 role while Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella are set to start as full-backs again.

Uruguay 1-3 Spain

Spain upped their levels in their last match and it felt like they were unstoppable at times. With Uruguay disappointing against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, a dominant performance against a top side feels out of reach. Spain will dominate possession and look to create chances for their exciting attacking players, and whilst Bielsa will not abandon his intense style of play, his team could struggle in both midfield and defence with Spain's quality. 

It will be interesting to see how Uruguay set up but unfortunately it looks like a win against Spain is too far. It would be a huge upset to see the two-time winners head home at this stage. If they fail to avoid losing, second place will no longer be theirs no matter the result between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.

A draw could be enough for Uruguay but Spain is the worst possible opponent to face in this situation. A Spain win feels most likely and we could be saying goodbye to La Celeste very early on in this tournament.