Stadium: Miami Stadium
Date: Monday, June 15
Kick-off Time: 11 p.m. BST
Match Preview
Saudi Arabia are an improving football nation and they have played at all but two (2010 & 2014) World Cups since way back in 1994, they will be best remembered from the tournament for the superb solo goal from Saeed Al – Owairan vs Belgium.
World Cups in 2018 & 2022 had some memorable moments but ultimately ended in elimination at the group stages. They have only once got out of the group stages in 1994 when they lost 3-1 to Sweden.
Saudi Arabia are now managed by Greek Georgios Donis and he might feel he has fallen on his feet landing this job heading into a world cup. Herve Renard was the man who secured qualification for the world cup but he was sacked in April 2026.
The Saudi’s have played three warm-up matches before the world cup losing 2-1 to Ecuador, hammering Puerto Rico 3-0 and a 0-0 draw with Senegal.
Marcelo Bielsa may longer be able to call on the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani but the South Americans have some top players in their 26 man squad and they could well be dark horses in this competition.
Team News Saudi Arabia
Coach Donis will be without the services of Goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi for this opening match against Uruguay due to a muscle injury but they are hopeful he could return against Spain.
Captain Salem Al-Dawsari is an old fashioned number 10 and he will be the man that makes them tick when attacking and he will hope to add to his record 34 goals at International level.
Donis has no preferred striker he has chosen in his games in charge but local Saudi news outlets suggest that Firas Al-Buraikan is the man likely to lead the line.
Team News Uruguay
Marcelo Bielsa has some real selection headaches for this Group H opener. Training has been distruped with Jose Gimenez (ankle), Ronald Araujo (calf), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (calf), Matias Vina (muscle) and Sebastian Caceres (head) all sitting out at times.
Wolves defender Santiago Bueno therefore is likely to start at centre back alongside Sebastian Caceres who is the most likely to overcome injury
Fede Valverde has had his issues at Real Madrid this season but he remains a talisman in this Uruguay midfielder alongside Man Utd’s Manuel Ugarte and Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham.
Darwin Nunez has found his feet again at Al-Hilal and he will lead the attack for Uruguay looking to add to his 13 International Goals in 38 games.
Form
| Team | Latest Result | Form (Last 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 0-0 vs Senegal | L L L L W D |
| Uruguay | 0-0 vs Algeria | W W D L D D |
Possible Line Ups
Saudi Arabia (4-4-2)
Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Al Tambakti, Lajami, Bu; Kanno, Al-Khaibari; N Al-Dawsari, Al-Juwayr, S Al-Dawsari; Al-Buraikan
Uruguay (4-2-3-1)
Muslera; Varela, Caceres, Bueno, Olivera; Valverde, Ugarte, Bentancur, M Araujo; Vinas, Nunez
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
Saudi Arabia Win | 7/1 (8.00) | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 100/30 (4.33) | Dream Vegas |
| Uruguay Win | 4/9 (1.44) | 247Bet |
We Predict.....
Saudi Arabia 0-2 Uruguay
Assuming Uruguay are not lcking match sharpness they should have too much quality to get the job done in Miami.