2026 World Cup: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, probable lineups

Saudi Arabia and Uruguay will wrap up the first matchday of Group H—which also includes Spain and Cape Verde—late Monday night into Tuesday morning. Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium will host the match between the Middle Eastern national team, ranked 61st by FIFA, and the South Americans, who are ranked 16th. Kickoff is at midnight Italian time (6 p.m. in Florida), with Italian referee Mariani officiating.

It was in the United States that Saudi Arabia made its World Cup debut, emerging as the surprise of Group F, finishing level on points with the Netherlands and Belgium (the head-to-head record and goal difference secured a historic second-place finish). In the Round of 16, they were then defeated by Sweden 3-1. In their five subsequent appearances (1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, and 2022), the Sons of the Desert never advanced past the group stage again: in 2022, they opened with a sensational victory over Argentina, who went on to win the title, but it wasn’t enough.

When it comes to the World Cup, Uruguay lives on past glories: two victories in the former Rimet Cup, in 1930 and 1950, preceded by Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 1928, which FIFA recognizes as early World Cup titles, so much so that La Celeste can display four stars on its crest. This year marks their fifteenth World Cup appearance, their sixth in a row: their best result of the new century is the fourth-place finish in 2010, achieved after losing 3-2 in both the semifinal against the Netherlands and the third-place match against Germany.

Probable lineups

SAUDI ARABIA (4-3-3): Al-Owais; Saud Abdulhamid, Al-Tambakti, Lajami, Boushal; Kanno, Al-Khaibari; Al-Dawsari, Al-Juwayr, Al-Dawsari; Al-Buraikan. Head Coach: Donis.

URUGUAY (4-2-3-1): Muslera; Varela, Bueno, Cáceres, Olivera; Valverde, Ugarte, Bentancur, Araujo; Núñez, Viñas. Coach: Bielsa.