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Lamine Yamal, the teenager who has spent the last two years making seasoned defenders look like they showed up to the wrong stadium, got the nod from coach Luis de la Fuente to start Spain’s Group H finale against Uruguay on June 26, 2026, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
It’s his second consecutive start in the tournament, and at 18 years old, Yamal is quickly making the case that age is just a number.
What’s at stake in Guadalajara
Spain entered the Uruguay match in a strong position within Group H, having already dispatched Cabo Verde on June 15 and Saudi Arabia on June 21. A victory against Uruguay would lock down the top spot in the group and, crucially, set up a more favorable round-of-32 draw.
Yamal’s inclusion in the starting lineup was widely expected after he scored his first World Cup goal in the Saudi Arabia match on June 21. Training footage from June 25, the day before the Uruguay clash, showed him participating fully with teammates, dispelling any concerns about fitness or rotation.
Betting markets reflected the expectation that Yamal would be central to Spain’s attack. Odds of +185 for him to score against Uruguay suggested analysts viewed him as a genuine goal threat, not just a creative presence meant to set up others. In English: bookmakers thought there was roughly a one-in-three chance the teenager would find the net again.
Yamal’s rise from prodigy to protagonist
Before the World Cup even began, Yamal had already accumulated six goals and 12 assists in just 25 senior international caps for Spain. Those numbers would be impressive for a player in his prime. For a teenager, they border on science fiction.
Coach Luis de la Fuente has shown no hesitation in trusting the young forward with a starting role on the biggest stage in the sport. Spain’s group stage schedule, with three matches across 11 days, demanded squad management and rotation. The fact that Yamal started all three tells you everything about where he sits in the pecking order.
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