Spain Beat Uruguay 1-0 Lineups and Group H Final

Álex Baena scored with a first-half shot that Fernando Muslera failed to hold at Guadalajara Stadium on 26 June 2026, giving Spain a 1-0 win over Uruguay that ended the South Americans' World Cup and sent Luis de la Fuente's side through as Group H winners.

The goal arrived in the 42nd minute logged as 41 minutes by The Guardian and 42 minutes by FOX and ESPN with Marcos Llorente credited with the assist by the official FOX match log. Spain led at halftime and held the advantage through a second half that ended with Agustín Canobbio's red card in stoppage time. Cabo Verde's concurrent 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia meant the debutants advanced in second place, leaving Uruguay and Saudi Arabia eliminated on two points each.

Starting Lineups: Uruguay vs Spain

Uruguay starting XI: Fernando Muslera, Sebastián Cáceres, Guillermo Varela, Mathías Olivera, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Valverde, Agustín Canobbio, Maximiliano Araújo, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Darwin Núñez.

Spain starting XI: Unai Simón, Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Mikel Merino, Álex Baena, Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal.

Both XIs confirmed by Reuters' pre-match lineup report.

Baena's inclusion proved critical. Multiple previews had predicted he would drop out for Nico Williams. He started, scored, and was replaced at 66 minutes when Yéremy Pino came on.

For Uruguay, Marcelo Bielsa named Darwin Núñez as the lone striker behind a midfield that included Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Federico Valverde. Ugarte lasted less than 45 minutes before leaving with an injury, Nicolás de la Cruz replaced him. The diagnosis was not confirmed in post-match sources.

Key Match Events

Spain took the lead on 42 minutes and were not seriously threatened before the interval. Baena collected the ball, drove at the Uruguay defence, and shot low. Muslera got hands to it but could not keep it out. The goalkeeper was replaced at the interval by Sergio Rochet.

In regulation time before halftime, Rodrigo Bentancur tested Spain at 36 minutes and Darwin Núñez at 39 minutes, per the FOX play-by-play. Eight minutes were added at the end of the first half, neither side scored in them.

Lamine Yamal drew a foul from Juan Manuel Sanabria in the 54th minute. Sanabria was booked a yellow card, not a penalty, despite some early live reports using imprecise wording.

Spain made five substitutions in total. Dani Olmo replaced Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz replaced Pedri, both at 60 minutes. Yéremy Pino came on for Baena at 66 minutes. Then, at approximately 76 minutes, Nico Williams replaced Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres replaced Mikel Oyarzabal, per The Guardian's live report.

Torres struck the crossbar at 87 minutes the closest either side came to a second goal.

Uruguay made four substitutions: Nicolás de la Cruz for Ugarte at 45 minutes, Sergio Rochet for Muslera at halftime, Federico Viñas for Federico Valverde at 57 minutes, and Brian Rodríguez for Sanabria at 70 minutes. In stoppage time, Nicolás de la Cruz was booked at 90+3, and Agustín Canobbio received a red card at 90+5.

The match began with both teams observing a moment of silence for victims of the earthquakes in Venezuela, where Reuters reported a death toll above 920 as of the evening of 26 June.

Lamine Yamal What He Did Against Uruguay

Yamal started on the right for Spain his second start of the group stage after coming off the bench in the opening 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde. He did not score and was not credited with an assist Marcos Llorente provided the pass for Baena's goal. His most visible contribution came when he laid the ball across for Dani Olmo, whose attempt went wide, per live reports from The Guardian. He was replaced by Nico Williams at around 76 minutes.

He was 18 years old on match day born 13 July 2007 in Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain and his full registered name on LaLiga's official profile is Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana. Reuters has documented that his father is from Morocco and his mother from Equatorial Guinea, though Yamal is Spanish by nationality and represents Spain internationally.

His first World Cup goal came five days earlier, in Spain's 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia on 21 June, a result that had already put Spain in firm control of Group H.

Final Group H Table

Source: FIFA official schedule and results

Spain's group sequence: 0-0 with Cabo Verde, 4-0 over Saudi Arabia, 1-0 over Uruguay. Seven points, five goals scored, none conceded.

Uruguay drew Saudi Arabia 1-1 on 15 June, drew Cabo Verde 2-2 on 21 June, and lost to Spain. Two points from three matches was not enough.

Cabo Verde made their World Cup debut in this tournament. Three draws earned them three points and a place in the round of 32 knocking out a two-time world champion in the process.

Spain and Uruguay: Context Behind the Group Stage

Spain arrived as the second-ranked team in the world, per the official FIFA ranking published on 11 June 2026, and as reigning European champions after winning Euro 2024 under De la Fuente.

Their head-to-head record against Uruguay entering this match was five wins and five draws across 10 meetings. The 1-0 win in Guadalajara extended that to six wins and five draws.

Uruguay came in as two-time world champions 1930 and 1950 but their attack produced three goals across the group stage and could not win a single match. Maximiliano Araújo scored two of those three goals in the first two games. Against Spain, Darwin Núñez and Bentancur forced saves before halftime, after it, Uruguay could not create a clear opening.

Bielsa deployed Valverde in his preferred advanced role within a four-man midfield. The Real Madrid midfielder completed the full group stage in that position his tactical role in Uruguay's system is detailed here.

This was Bielsa's third World Cup with a third different national team. He took Argentina to the 2002 tournament, where they exited in the group stage. He led Chile to the round of 16 in 2010. Uruguay in 2026 went out at the group stage again, per FIFA's profile of his coaching history.

What Happened in the Venue

The match was played at Guadalajara Stadium FIFA's sponsor-neutral name for the venue known commercially as Estadio Akron. FIFA places it in Zapopan, Jalisco, within the wider Guadalajara metropolitan area.

Kickoff was 6 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. ET, midnight GMT, and 5:30 a.m. IST on 27 June. FOX broadcast the match in the United States, Telemundo carried Spanish-language coverage.

FIFA's mandatory hydration breaks a three-minute pause around the 22nd minute of each half, applied in all 2026 matches continued to attract criticism from coaches and observers. Several coaches and players had publicly questioned the interruptions in preceding weeks, as reported by Reuters. FIFA defended the breaks as a player welfare measure.

Spain advance to the round of 32. Their next opponent will be determined by the results from other groups. Uruguay's 2026 campaign ends at the group stage, repeating their early exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.