2026 — The Tournament Of A Lifetime

World Cup News

Giovani Lo Celso scores a fantastic free-kick on his World Cup debut to give Argentina the lead against Jordan.

World Cup News

So what can we expect from today’s match between Algeria and Austria? Austria’s opening 3-1 win over Jordan was their first World Cup victory since 1990, with 37-year-old Marko Arnautovic coming off the bench to turn the tide for Ralf Rangnick’s side. The polarising striker had a goal disallowed in the 69th minute before forcing an own goal and scoring a penalty in a dominant second half. But that jubilant start came to a screeching halt after Austria were faced with the might and magic of Lionel Messi, whose brace lifted Argentina to a 2-0 victory in their second group match. Austria played well in that game, filled with fight and exhaustive gegenpressing, and did well to force Argentina to find solutions to their crisp passing and lingering transitional dangers. Unfortunately, there is only so much a team can do when they come up against the best player in the world. Austria, then, will be feeling confident coming into this final outing against Algeria. They’ve been competitive so far, though there are some questions over where their goals will come from as they haven’t looked super convincing in the final third. Their opponents, meanwhile, have similar Messi-related traumas after Argentina thumped them 3-0 on the opening day. That was Messi’s hat-trick day, sliding three easy goals past a lacklustre Algeria, which started with a chalked-off tap-in just five minutes after kick-off. Algeria’s back-line was pulled apart with ease, and while they had some organised and high-energy moments going forward, they couldn’t convert the few chances they created. Their second match against Jordan, though, reminded fans of the kind of football that earned them a reputation during qualifying. Their 2-1 win over the tournament debutants thanks in part to a stand-out performance from veteran winger Riyad Mahrez, who was brought back into the starting side after being bizarrely rested against Argentina. Austria may be slight favourites coming into today’s game based on the past two games’ worth of form, but given the long history between these two teams, anything is possible.

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Odel al-Fakhouri and Ali Azaizeh come into the Jordan side in place of Musa al-Taamari and Mahmoud al-Mardi. Argentina rest nine of the XI that started against Austria on Monday; the two men keeping their place are Emi Martinez and Lautaro Martinez. Jordan (3-4-2-1) Abulaila; Nasib, al-Arab, Abu Dahab; Haddad, al-Rashdan, al-Rawabdeh, Abu Taha; Olwan, O al-Fakouhri; Azaizeh. Subs: Bani Attiah, A al-Fakhouri, Abu Hashish, Abualnadi, Obaid, al-Rosan, Badawi, Jamous, Ayed, Sadeh, Abu Ghoush, al-Dawoud, Abu Zrayq, al-Taamari, al-Mardi. Argentina (4-4-2) E Martinez; Simeone, Otamendi, Senesi, Tagliafico; Lo Celso, Paredes, Palacios, Lo Celso; Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez. Subs: Musso, Rulli, Monitel, Lisandro Martinez, Romero, Medina, Molina, De Paul, Barco, Gonzalez, Almada, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Lopez, Messi.

World Cup News

Harry Kane praises Jude Bellingham's ability to thrive when he has the freedom to "attack the game" after the midfielder set up a goal for the England captain, and scored one himself, in the 2-0 win over Panama to win Group L at the FIFA World Cup.

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The Geopolitics World Cup has its North Korea 1966, its Cameroon 1990, rank outsiders to revive hearts hardened by relentless cynicism. For Pak Doo-ik and Roger Milla, read Vozinha, and all his Cape Verde teammates, including Pico Lopes, a defender recruited while playing for Shamrock Rovers from the diaspora via LinkedChat. An archipelago nation with a population smaller than Bradford has negotiated a tough group including two former winners in Spain and Uruguay. They will next meet Argentina in Miami, the adopted city of Lionel Messi, where the fairytale likely ends. Though if not, then they would become the greatest World Cup story of all. “We are small but we have big hearts,” sobbed Vozinha following a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia and a quick check on the other Group H result from Guadalajara. Talking of football heritage, Uruguay exiting in a flurry of filth and fury during their 1-0 loss to Spain showed off something else not yet commodified and flogged to the highest bidder. Marcelo Bielsa’s tournament legacy is mixed. His Argentina team of all the talents were dumped out at the group stage in 2002 amid floods of woe. Chile in 2010 played some of the loveliest soccer on show in South Africa before exiting to Brazil in the last 16. A third stab with Uruguay has been a self-confessed disaster. Such true confessions were made most publicly. Bielsa’s guttural demand that the flash interviewer hurry the bleep up was followed by a paint-stripping mea culpa. “I haven’t left anything to Uruguayan football,” he sniffed, hurling himself through the door marked DO ONE. The warnings had been there pre-tournament, Bielsa declaring he had been “toxic” with his players. Following drab draws with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, against a Spain team grinding through the motions themselves, a first-half mistake by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera gifted the winner. A distraught Muslera did not return after half-time. Both teams kicked merry lumps out of the other, though it was colliding with a teammate that caused serious knee-knack for Manuel Ugarte, the midfielder Manchester United are looking to ship out for their annual rebuild. Agustín Canobbio’s late red card for a “tackle” launched towards Pau Cubarsí put the cap on it. “Clearly I didn’t go in with the studs,” Cannobbio wailed after refusing to leave the field in full “hold me back” mode, his challenge having echoed José Batista on Gordon Strachan in 1986. If Bielsa made his own emotions clear, how might his Uruguayan players react? Hopefully better than Argentina’s Juan Sebastián Verón in 2002, who admitted he spent the rest of that summer tearfully pounding the streets near his Cheshire home by night. Sobbed Seba: “I seemed like a lunatic but in this time I had chance to think a lot about what has happened … like knowing who is on my side and who is supporting me.” Anyone residing near a Uruguayan GWC player knows what to look out for. The last games of the GWC group stage, completing the marathon, 72-game epic, starting with Scott Murray’s Panama 0-4 England MBM report, concurrently with Croatia 0-0 Ghana from Will Unwin, as Group L concludes with a pair of 5pm EDT/10pm BST kick-offs. After that comes Beau Dure’s coverage of Colombia 3-3 Portugal, with a 7.30pm EDT/12.30am BST kick-off shared with Bryan Armen Graham’s MBM of DR Congo 2-1 Uzbekistan in Group K. The final showing is a Group J double bill of Samantha Lewis covering the Algeria 0-0 Austria “shame” the world awaits, while Rob Smyth covers Jordan 0-7 Argentina (Messi hat-trick) at 10pm EDT/3am BST. “What happened today in training, this is a normal situation. I would’ve liked to see these situations more often, that means the team is alive. They are willing to do a good effort … to be in the first XI for the game. If this happens another time, it’s a good sign that they are alive” – the Panama coach, Thomas Christiansen, welcomes the training-ground confrontation between Cecilio Waterman and José Luis Rodríguez, hailing these as scenes everyone wants to see, before tackling England in New York on Saturday night. Big Website’s app now features a special edition of On the Ball for the GWC. On the Ball: World Stage invites you to guess the World Cup player in five attempts – and it’s pretty tricky. You can have a go right now – and there are loads of other good puzzles to take up your time, too. double quotation markHaving sat through the first group games and fumed at the obvious lack of jeopardy, I decided my GWC experience would be significantly enhanced if I ignored some games and played walking football for the 60-plus generation instead. To my amazement, there is an entire new football language waiting to be discovered by anybody prepared to play the beautiful game at a sedate pace. For example, the walking football term used when a player scores three goals is ‘a gerihat-trick’. Come to think of it, this all isn’t far removed from descriptions of England’s performance against Ghana. Does anybody else have any walking football terms?” – Mike Towers. double quotation markRe: tournament wording in different languages (Football Daily letters passim). I’d love to be the first of 1,057 Scots to tell you what ‘knockout stage’, ‘quarter-final’, ‘semi-final’, ‘final’ and the like are in our national tongue, but I don’t think any of us knows” – Peter Storch (and no other Scots). double quotation markLeaving aside the £116m for Elliot Anderson (yesterday’s Beyond The GWC, full email edition), I’m concerned about a midfielder called Odysseas Vlachodimos being mentioned in passing. Is he the kind of player who gets lost in the middle of games, or does he tease the opposition till they lose control?” – Kev The Poet. If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Peter Storch. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here . This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

World Cup News

Mauricio Pochettino’s team won their group after some impressive performances. But they’d probably need to beat some of the world’s best to claim the title After all, why do a random draw when you can build a matrix with 495 possible scenarios in order to assign the fixtures for the eight best third-placers? Anyway, what matters is that Mauricio Pochettino’s team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and no new format is going to stop us from – in time-honored fashion – speculating wildly about what may happen next while we still have the chance, with the potential for American wins rated using one of the mantra-loving manager’s motivational rallying cries of choice. Opponent: Bosnia and Herzegovina (1 July, 8pm ET, Santa Clara) In a World Cup of twinkling veteran stars, striker Edin Džeko remains influential at the age of 40, while winger Kerim Alajbegović – 22 years his junior – is an emerging talent who scored in the 3-1 win over Qatar that secured Bosnia and Herzegovina third place in Group B and a first-ever trip to the knockout stages. The US won’t want this to go to penalties, since their opponents beat Wales and Italy on spot-kicks in the qualification play-offs. It shouldn’t; while Sergej Barbarez’s physical side are undeniably resolute and improving after an unremarkable qualifying campaign, and may feel liberated by a lack of pressure having already made history, the Americans have superior individual talent and are more fluid in possession. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where the host nation dominates from the start, with Bosnia’s best hope to defend stoutly and pinch a goal from a set-piece; or indeed, win via another shootout. Why not us? US chances of victory rating: 7/10 Predicted opponent: Belgium (6 July, 8pm ET, Seattle) Belgium seem to be dwindling: a fading bunch of elites who missed their window for glory a couple of tournaments ago. Is the 5-1 win over minnows New Zealand that lifted Rudi Garcia’s side to the top of Group G better evidence of their continuing potential than the tepid ties with Egypt and Iraq? Not necessarily. There’s cause for the US to be wary, certainly, but not fearful. This would be a fixture to evoke memories of one of the most heroic failures in US men’s national team history: the 2-1 extra time loss to Belgium in the last 16 at the 2014 World Cup. Belgium won with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku – who both also scored against New Zealand in Vancouver. And Thibaut Courtois is still in goal. More relevant is the 5-2 win for Belgium over the US in an Atlanta friendly only three months ago. But both teams were under-strength and it was a useful learning experience for Pochettino and his charges, who at least had most of the possession. If the US do indeed have to face a top 10 nation at this relatively early stage, Belgium are probably the one they’d want. And the confidence-boost from victory would be colossal. Predicted opponent: Spain (10 July, 3pm ET, Los Angeles) The European champions and second-favourites at this World Cup? Of course, they’re more likely than not to beat the US. Here’s the case for the “not”: Spain look heavily reliant for their creative spark on Lamine Yamal, who’s still only 18. Rampant possession isn’t a guarantee of an end product, as we saw in the goalless draw with Cape Verde. They weren’t especially impressive in Friday’s 1-0 win over Uruguay, doing just enough but no more. And the US may thrive as heavy underdogs on home soil, with fervent backing but little pressure. Spain are better-equipped now than they were at Qatar 2022, when they lost on penalties to an inspired Morocco in the last 16. But if Luis de la Fuente’s men are significantly below par while the Americans play the game of their lives, there’s enough ability in the US team to deliver another shock. It would, though, probably require a level of defensive discipline and tactical rigidity that the US don’t appear to possess. They look good when on the front foot against comparable or weaker opponents; when on the back foot against higher-ranked teams … not so much. Predicted opponent: France (14 July, 3pm ET, Dallas) Didier Deschamps’ side were the most impressive nation in the group stage, though their tremendous attacking flair and depth glossed over some lackadaisical defending: see, for example, the insouciance that allowed Norway to score a few seconds after the restart when France took a 2-0 lead on Friday. Les Bleus, did, admittedly, go on to win 4-1. But the US are more dynamic and sharper than a second-string Norway XI. An on-song Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun could surely test the French back line, especially if the team are given free rein to overlap with the same ambition and flexibility that demolished Paraguay. After all, “When people believe in each other, impossible dreams become possible,” as Pochettino likes to put it, in a motivational motto that sounds like it could have been lifted from a 1980s power ballad. On the other hand, France are not Paraguay, and if they’ve made it this far they may well have beaten Germany and the Netherlands en route, which would imply that their defense is good enough. If the game becomes a stretched-out slugfest, a nightmare thrashing at the hands of France will become possible. Predicted opponent: England (19 July, 3pm ET, New York-New Jersey) It’s the history-making, history-repeating match-up that’s meant to be. In the month that the United States celebrates its founding, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the fundamental principles that have shaped American greatness in the past 250 years: dreaming big, working hard, bringing the hype and charging as much as the market will bear. This World Cup has richly – very richly – delivered in every respect. A US-England World Cup final in New York (OK, New Jersey) would be an even more unusual party than UFC fights on the White House lawn. And what better way to assuage the nation’s disappointment after the Vanilla Ice concert on the National Mall was cancelled? If England don’t top their group, this is a potential quarter-final match-up. Whenever it might occur, with a former Premier League manager at the helm and plenty of players with English experience, the Americans have a degree of familiarity with England that will help them stun Thomas Tuchel’s side, with spirit, swelling confidence and home advantage compensating for inferior individual skill. If the US really do make it this far something magical and miraculous is happening and they’re destined to win the trophy. Which will probably end up on a shelf in the Oval Office next to the Fifa Peace Prize and all the other gilded clutter.

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Iran waiting to see if they are through to last 32 Salah injury fears played down after 1-1 draw Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, has said Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, must “stand up” to the US after reiterating his belief that the co-hosts have treated his team “very unfairly”. Iran will qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time if results go their way in the next 24 hours, but after a dramatic draw against Egypt in Seattle, in which Shoja Khalilzadeh saw a stoppage-time winner ruled offside and Saeid Ezatolah headed against the crossbar, they were left frustrated with more than just the result. Infantino visited Iran’s dressing room after their Group G opener against New Zealand, telling the squad “you are stronger than everything”, but while Ghalenoei maintains Infantino has tried his utmost to help them, ultimately little has changed since the tournament began. The head coach previously described Iran as the “most oppressed” team at the World Cup. “I know Mr Infantino has tried his best to minimise the problems as much as possible but it was the host that wasn’t very good to us,” Ghalenoei said in his post-match press conference. “I urge Fifa to not let the hosts treat teams and players the same way in the future. I hope Mr Infantino will actually stand up to such behaviour.” Iran’s captain, Mehdi Taremi, criticised Fifa’s handling of the situation and referenced the 11 senior officials who were denied entry to the US. “Since the beginning, it’s a disaster World Cup. I mean, Fifa, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately this they couldn’t solve since the beginning. Mr Infantino came to our changing room [after the] first game and he said: ‘It’s just the beginning.’ But [the] group stage finishes tomorrow and we don’t have our logistic people here, they don’t have a visa. How [is that] possible?” Asked whether there was a feeling that the US and Fifa wanted Iran out of the tournament, the Olympiakos forward said: “We have to fight against everything here. I don’t know what people want or know, but as we see it by our perspective, yeah, they’d like that, I think.” Iran were due to land in Tijuana, Mexico – where they are based after being forced to switch training base before the tournament – at 3am on Saturday after being denied permission to stay in Seattle. Ghalenoei added: “To my players and the team, I want to say to them I’m proud of them, what these young people, these players have done, it should be written in history because the host country treated us very unfairly. “Had the host country allowed us to arrive two weeks earlier, we would have been more prepared. They were reasonable, rational demands. We would have been able to recover and be in better shape physically and mentally however they deprived us of that justice. “When you play in a match, physically, scientifically, our bodies are at a low and when you suddenly go on a flight, that actually postpones your recovery and this is the third time they are doing this to us, we have to leave from here to the airport and we have to return to Tijuana and it will take us some three hours. Their behaviour towards us has been really terrible and we hope the world will be aware of that. They didn’t let us come two weeks earlier and two days earlier before every game. This has really hurt us. And we had a war as well. Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team. I think that’s our greatest achievement despite all the obstacles and the hurdles they put in our way. Egypt’s head coach, Hossam Hassan, played down fears their captain, Mohamed Salah, could miss Friday’s last 32 date with Australia in Dallas after the former Liverpool winger requested to be substituted approaching the hour. “If a player asks to be substituted, it means he felt something,” Hassan said. “I talked to Salah and he said he’s going to be OK and it’s not a big injury. We still have time to talk to the medical staff, I think he will be back and when I spoke to Salah he assured me he’s going to be OK.”

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Cape Verde reach last 32 after draw with Saudi Arabia ‘We showed the world you should not fear difficulties’ The Cape Verde head coach, Bubista, said his team have “shown that nothing is impossible” after his side secured a historic meeting with Argentina in the last 32. Cape Verde became the smallest country by population to reach the World Cup’s knockout stages, and the first debutants since 2010 to do so, after drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia in Houston. The result meant they finished second in Group H, a stunning achievement given they were deemed outsiders in a group also including Spain and Uruguay. Bubista’s side progressed with three draws and, draped in his country’s flag for the duration of his post-match press conference, he spoke of his pride at the example Cape Verde have set for football’s supposed minnows. “It’s us? I didn’t know that,” he said after being told of the record they had broken. “In that case we have become an example that small countries also can have big objectives provided they have focus, determination and work with organisation. We have shown that nothing is impossible. We have represented our country but we also represent Africa and small countries around the world. “I’ve always said that, sooner or later, Cape Verde would be on such a stage. Of course it’s hard to give that kind of forecast but we overcame several steps. We showed the world that you should not fear difficulties. Now we are in the knockout stage and it’s amazing for our people, for anyone who identifies with our team and especially for the players. They gave everything, and showed personality and discipline. When those come together you get this kind of outcome.” As Bubista spoke, Cape Verde’s players could be heard celebrating in the dressing room a matter of yards away. He offered no bold proclamations about their prospects of shocking the reigning champions, Argentina, whom they will play in Miami on Friday, but promised they would face down the task with the appetite shown over the past fortnight. “First of all we are proud to be able to play Argentina,” he said. “This is a country with which we have longstanding ties. But above all our will is to do things with our identity regardless of who the opponent is. We will play our game with attitude and responsibility, knowing that Argentina have some of the best players in the world plus Messi, who some believe is the best of all time. “It is a reason of joy. From the very beginning we said we had the opportunity to show our country to the rest of the world. It’s excellent for our country.” Bubista’s counterpart, Georgios Donis – a former winger for Blackburn, Huddersfield and Sheffield United – was downbeat about the performance of his Saudi Arabia side, who depart with a single point and rarely looked like claiming the win they needed. “We were very poor in terms of creating things, controlling the game and creating actions,” he said. “One cannot win a game in this way.”

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England must match or beat Ghana’s result to finish top Reece James out for two games, Rice also injury concern Thomas Tuchel says nothing has scared him at the World Cup and is adamant that England are capable of competing with any team. Tuchel, whose side hope to clinch top spot in Group L when they face Panama in New Jersey on Saturday evening, is not panicking after England’s goalless draw with Ghana. The head coach remains confident in his players and, with the bulk of the group stage completed, has not seen anything to make him think any opponents are unstoppable. “I’m not scared in general,” he said. “We feel confident enough to be ready and compete on any level. I haven’t seen that much football, to be honest, because the times were always quite early and we’re on the training pitch. “Then it’s the afternoon, we’re in the office preparing the next day. I haven’t seen that much football – but I’m not scared. I see, of course, good teams. I see high-quality individual players who decide team matches. I see all kinds. I still see our group as one of the most difficult. This is where we go from. We focus on what we can influence.” England risk finishing second if they fail to beat Panama, who are out after losing their first two games. A narrow victory would leave them in danger of missing out on top spot on goal difference if Ghana secure a heavy win over Croatia. Tuchel admitted that England needed to be better against low blocks, but he is not worried about teams trying to wind up Jude Bellingham. Ghana appeared to try to get under the midfielder’s skin, particularly during a fraught ending to the first half, and it could be similarly physical against Panama. “No fear,” Tuchel said. “I didn’t think about this yet. I think sometimes it fuels Jude. He accepts that these moments come and he’s happily engaging in it, because it brings out the edge in him that he needs sometimes. “We spoke about it at half-time, to be emotional is part of the game, and we don’t want to play cold like a fridge. We want to play emotional but not get distracted and not be dragged into discussions. It will just help the opponent and the underdog. “We did this well. You cannot play without emotion against such physical teams, because otherwise it feels a little bit like you’re in the role of a victim. We want to stand up for each other, protect us and still find a good balance.” Tuchel laughed off suggestions that the stalemate with Ghana in Boston showed he was wrong not to include the creativity of Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold in his squad. He anticipated a tough game when Ghana appointed Carlos Queiroz as their manager in April. Tuchel is staying calm and will not discuss players who did not make the final 26. “I cannot engage with this after a draw,” he said. “Spain had a draw. Brazil had their draw. Portugal had their draw. Honestly, we had a message from a very famous colleague, a very well-respected colleague, after Ghana changed their coach. He texted us: ‘Your most difficult game is now the second game.’ So I have a bit of respect for what we’re playing here, and then we need to trust also our players. It helps no one if we question now.” Reece James has been ruled out for at least two games after complaining of hamstring tightness after the draw against Ghana. Ezri Konsa is likely to move to right-back. England also have fitness concerns over Declan Rice. Rice’s place in midfield could go to Kobbie Mainoo, while Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford could start on the wings. With the group alive Tuchel may not be able to rest Bellingham and Harry Kane. If England do finish first, they will have four days to prepare for a last-32 game in Atlanta against a third-placed team.

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The prize money available at the 2026 World Cup is a record-breaking $871m (£662m). But in April they approved a further increase to the pot, by increasing the base participation prize and the preparation fee, bringing it to the new total. The prize money is split into performance-based rewards and non performance-based financial support. Contact formContact formPerformance-based prizesThe further teams progress in the tournament, the more they are rewarded financially. These payouts will form $703m of the $871m on offer in the prize pot, with the remaining $168m (£152m) being paid out among teams regardless of performance. The remaining money will be spread evenly across all participating teams in the form of: This means each team is guaranteed at least $12.5m for taking part in the tournament when combined with the minimum $10m qualification fee. Preparation money is to contribute towards costs such as training camps and travel for squads pre-tournament. This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

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England's World Cup campaign began with an impressive win over Croatia and a frustrating draw with Ghana. As the Three Lions prepare to take on Panama on Saturday (22:00 BST), we want to test your knowledge of the players who have made the most appearances for England at World Cups. After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device. What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026England Men's Football TeamPlay more quizzesQuiz: Name every nation at the 2026 World Cup Which World Cup team are you? Take our quiz World Cup quiz: Name every player in England's squad World Cup quiz: Name every player in Scotland's squad

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3 CommentsUpdated 32 minutes ago When people talk about Spain winning this World Cup, of course they point to Lamine Yamal as being the key. But you cannot win a World Cup on your own, especially this one with an extra game, probably some extra time in the knockout rounds, plus the heat and all the travelling as well. So, the important thing for La Roja head coach Luis de la Fuente is that, along with Lamine Yamal, he has the team and the squad he needs for the next month. When Spain won the 2024 European Championship, De la Fuente used all 23 outfield players in his squad during the seven matches. Everyone will have to be ready this time too. As players, you always want to play every game but in any tournament like this you never know when the crucial moment can come for you to make the difference. For Mikel Oyarzabal at Euro 2024, that moment came when he came off the bench to score the winner in the final against England. His 'golden' goal was the only one he scored in the Euros and, while Oyarzabal played in every game in that tournament, he only started one - the last group game against Albania when we had already secured top spot. But, when he was needed, he was ready and since then he has not stopped scoring for Spain. He is 29 and is not celebrated like Kylian Mbappe or Harry Kane as one of the best centre-forwards in the world, but he had a strong season with Real Sociedad in La Liga and he has an incredible record with the national team. I have heard people say that Spain are missing a really elite number nine but with Oyarzabal, we have someone who we know can score the big goals, when it matters. We appreciate him, even if he is not seen as a superstar by others. He used to play more on the wing but in the past couple of years he has transitioned more into a striker who can go in both directions, making runs past defenders or dropping deeper to link play. Oyarzabal is also still able to go wide when needed, finding the spaces left when teams are attracted to Yamal, and his movement and intelligence makes him so effective. He is doing a great job. After two goals and an assist in the first half against Saudi Arabia he will be full of confidence, and I like our other options up front too. Ferran Torres was not as clinical when he came on for Oyarzabal in that game but I still feel he is in good form, while Borja Iglesias offers a different kind of striker profile. Iglesias is someone people might know a little bit less, because he does not play in the Champions League with Celta Vigo, but if you've seen him you will understand why he is important for the squad. He is someone who can be a bit more of a target-man, occupying the centre-backs. He has not been used yet at this World Cup but I am sure at some point there will be a game where Spain will need his qualities, depending on the opposition. I know exactly what I am talking about because I had to mark him during my last match as a professional, less than a month ago in Vigo. Normally with Spain we talk mostly about how good we are offensively but, when I go through our squad, there are important players everywhere. I see a team that is solid and compact, and who have not conceded a goal yet. There are much harder tests to come than Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia but I feel we are good enough defensively to win this World Cup when we face the bigger teams. Unai Simon has been with Spain for such a long time and has all the experience you could ask for. We have some amazing options for goalkeepers, with David Raya and Joan Garcia, but I understand why Simon is the number one. He is a big character as well as being so experienced in major tournaments. if Spain really want to get far at this tournament, they will need to be consistent and solid at the back, so to have a goalkeeper who can give confidence to the whole team will be really important. At centre-back, Aymeric Laporte is another player who has the personality you need in the dressing room and the pitch, and our captain, Rodri, is such a big player for the same reasons. Rodri can dictate the game - he is so strong physically that he controls everything, and with his quality he is the connection between the defenders and the attack, with and without the ball. How good we are defensively is linked to the possession we have - the more we have the ball, the more we are in control. Against Cape Verde we were making more fouls when we lost the ball which meant we were less fluid at winning it back and attacking, but against Saudi Arabia it was different. We recovered the ball high up the pitch which is important to stop counter-attacks - the intensity was really good and meant we were less exposed. That pressing is a key aspect of Spain's game. We put a lot of players high into the opposition half which is a risk, so you have to try to win the ball back as quickly as possible. These guys I have been talking about are all leaders but of course the person they look to most is the coach. A lot of the players have been with De la Fuente for a long time, playing in Spain's youth teams, so he is like a father figure to them. He knows them very well and also they know he will be calm and will support them. That again is key in a long tournament like this where you know that there will be some games where you cannot be at your best. We saw that already with the draw against Cape Verde which no-one expected but then the way the team reacted against Saudi Arabia was exactly what was needed, and now we need more of the same against Uruguay to make sure we win the group. The squad is very close and you need that bond so you can stick together to face the challenges when a tough result like that arrives. That's the key to making it to the later stages. We won the Euros under De la Fuente two years ago so they have the belief, but you can see the team is still improving and growing together now. Some of the players arrived at this World Cup needing to build up their fitness, including Lamine Yamal. The team is better with him in it, and the more he plays, the more expectation grows, but we also know everyone else will play their part.