Your defending Euro Champions, Spain, and Group H are up next as we roll through our World Cup previews. Alexi Lalas get you set for the tournament looking at Federico Valverde and Uruguay, Salem Al-Dawsari and Saudi Arabia alongside debutants Cape Verde.

Manager on the values behind Spain’s coaching success, the joy of teaching and how Lamine Yamal has been touched by God’s wand

France will beat Spain to lift the World Cup trophy on July 19 and five-time winners Brazil are expected to be the biggest flops, according to a Reuters survey of economists who said football was still harder to call than inflation.

Spain hosts Iraq on Thursday at Estadio Municipal de Riazor for an international friendly a week ahead of the opening match of the World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup was supposed to be another waypoint on Lamine Yamal's path to becoming a superstar, but there is the threat that an injury could deprive the tournament of one of its biggest names.