The most cut and dry group to predict on paper is Group H. Current World Cup betting favorites Spain headline Group H, and almost everyone is predicting that Spain and Uruguay will be the two teams that definitely make it to the knockout rounds. La Roja are odds-on favorites to win all their matches in the Group Stage per the World Cup betting odds, and Spain and Uruguay are odds-on favorites to finish first and second per the World Cup group futures odds.
Odds to win Group H
Spain -500
Uruguay +425
Saudi Arabia +2000
Cape Verde +6000
This is Spain’s best World Cup squad since their title run in 2010. La Roja are now the overall betting favorites to win the World Cup, although they have won just one match in each of their last three World Cup appearances. Spain were fantastic during Euro 2024, winning all seven of their matches and finishing with a +11 goal differential en route to claiming their record fourth European title.
Odds to Win World Cup for Group H Teams
Spain +475
Uruguay +8000
Saudi Arabia +110000
Cape Verde +250000
The only other team that can win the World Cup from Group H aside from Spain is Uruguay. The two-time World Cup winners made it to the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup behind Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Forlan, but they fell to the Netherlands in their penultimate match. Saudi Arabia has only made it to the knockout rounds once in their previous six World Cup appearances, while Cape Verde will be making its World Cup debut.
Match Schedule
Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, June 15, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (Match 13)
Spain vs. Cape Verde, June 15, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia (Match 14)
Uruguay vs. Cape Verde, June 21, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (Match 37)
Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, June 21, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia (Match 38)
Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, June 26, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas (Match 65)
Uruguay vs. Spain, June 26, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET from Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Mexico (Match 66)
Team Previews
Spain
For the first time ever, Real Madrid will not be represented on Spain’s World Cup roster. Former youth manager Luis de la Fuente elected to not have a single player from Real Madrid in his final squad and will instead have eight players from Barcelona. That may ruffle for some feathers, but there’s no doubt that it will help with chemistry.
The biggest question surrounding Spain is the status of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. There’s little doubt that Yamal will be the next Barcelona great, as he became the youngest player in Spanish history to take the pitch and score at the age of 16. Yamal was integral to Spain’s Euro 2024 title, and he became the youngest player to ever be nominated for the Ballon d’Or last year.
Yamal suffered a left hamstring injury while netting a penalty against Celta Vigo on April 22. He did not play the rest of the season for Barcelona, and he is expected to miss at least Spain’s first match against Cape Verde. The hope is that he can return by the final Group Stage match against Uruguay, as that will be the toughest test for La Roja before the knockout rounds.
Spain do not lack scoring options despite the absence of Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal scored the game-winning goal against England in the Euro 2024 Finals, and Ferran Torres has shown flashes too. Captain Rodri is two years removed from winning the Ballon d’Or for his sensational national and professional performance, while Barca midfielders Dani Olmo, Pedri, and Gavi will be strong in the midfield.
Aymeric Laporte and Marcos Llorente are solid in the back line, and Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella can make things happen on the wing. David Raya had a great season with Arsenal, but Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon will be the first-choice goalkeeper and has started in net for each of Spain’s last three major international tournaments.
Uruguay
La Celeste are one of the biggest wildcards coming into the World Cup. Uruguay looked very strong early in Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure, defeating Brazil and Argentina by scorelines of 2-0 in COMNEBOL qualifying. They ended up finishing in third place at the 2024 Copa America, but they have not looked the same since that result.
Uruguay are 7-9-4 in their 20 international matches since Copa America. They suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of the United States in November, and they needed a late penalty to secure a draw against England in late March. La Celeste were only able to put one shot on goal in a scoreless draw versus Algeria in their most recent match.
The back line is very good. Captain Jose Maria Gimenez will record his 100th cap next month, and he has two solid players alongside him in Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Napoli’s Mathias Olivera. There is quality in the midfield too as Federico Valverde is a seasoned playmaker that can make things happen on both ends, while Manuel Ugarte is an aggressive defensive midfielder that will help the defense with his ability to break things up.
There are no longer talented forwards like Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Forlan on the roster. Instead, this is now the weakest position for Uruguay by a mile as Darwin Nunez is the only player that has scored more than four goals on international duty. Nunez might be a bit rusty as he barely saw any duty for Al-Hilal after the club acquired Karim Benzema in February.
Saudi Arabia
The Green Falcons had their greatest success in their World Cup debut. Saudi Arabia stunned many observers by defeating Morocco and Belgium to make it out of the Group Stage of the 1994 World Cup. They fell to Sweden in the Round of 16, but it was the country’s greatest World Cup success. They are just 2-2-11 over their last five World Cup appearances, and they finished dead last at the 2002 World Cup with a -12 goal differential.
Some of the best players in the world now play professionally in the Saudi Pro League, so that has raised the level of play for members of the national team. Almost all of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup roster is expected to come from domestic teams, and there are only one or two potential call-ups that play elsewhere.
New head coach Georgios Donis has managed Al-Wehda, Al-Fateh, and Al-Khaleej over the last five years, and he was named the head coach for Saudi Arabia last month after Herve Renard was fired. Donis will look to make the most of this chance as the Saudis had lost three straight matches prior to Renard’s firing.
Salem Al-Dawsari is the team’s captain and most talented player. Al-Dawsari has netted 26 goals in 107 matches for the Green Falcons, and he will have the benefit of playing on the same line as Al-Hilal teammates Mohamed Kanno and Nasser Al-Dawsari.
The main scoring options on Saudi Arabia will likely be Firas Al-Buraikan and Saleh Al-Shehri. They don’t see as many minutes as they would prefer for their clubs due to the influx of international talent, but they have shown some ability while playing for the national team.
Cape Verde
The longest odds to win the World Cup aside from Haiti belong to Cape Verde. The small island nation will be making its first appearance on this stage after a stunning performance in qualifying. Cape Verde topped a group that included Cameroon, overcoming a 4-1 loss to the favorites early in qualifying, to finish with seven wins and two draws in their other matches.
Cape Verde have lost just one match since March 2025. They were up 2-1 on Chile, but a red card just before halftime led to the Chileans netting three straight goals to pick up a win. The Blue Sharks have secured draws with Iran, Egypt, and Finland since November, giving the country hope that it can at least earn one result this June.
Captain Ryan Mendes is the primary goal scorer on the squad. Mendes is 36 years old, and he is the most capped player and top goal scorer in the history of the country. He has netted 22 goals in 96 matches for Cape Verde.
Goalkeeper Vozinha has bounced around European leagues over the course of his professional career and will turn 40 just before the World Cup. He is the second most capped player in Cape Verde history and has been with the national team for 14 years.
The player to watch on Cape Verde is midfielder Jamiro Monteiro. He has played for multiple clubs in both the MLS and Eredivisie, and the attack will run through him. Monteiro is more of a facilitator than a goal scorer, and he is likely to have a hand in the action if Cape Verde net a goal.
