WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · KNOCKOUT-ONLY MEETING
🇪🇸
Spain
GROUP HFIFA #27 PL
vs
🇲🇦
Morocco
GROUP CFIFA #84 PL
WHAT THIS MATCHUP MEANS

The story before a ball is kicked

Spain arrive in Group H as the world's elite — top-five FIFA ranked with 7 Premier League players in their squad. Morocco sit in Group C as the top-fifteen FIFA seed with 4 PL regulars.

They sit in different groups, so the only routes to a meeting run through the knockout rounds. For both to face each other, Spain need to top or qualify from Group H and Morocco the same from Group C, then progress through R32 onto a shared half of the bracket.

The pre-match weight of evidence leans Spain's way narrowly. Below: a six-dimension head-to-head, the Premier League club distribution per squad, and the Onside verdict.

INTERACTIVE · COMBINED DREAM XI

Build the best XI from BOTH squads

Tap any pitch slot to pick from Spain + Morocco. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.

▶ SHARE ON X
0 / 11ESP 0·MAR 0
+GK+DEF+DEF+DEF+DEF+MID+MID+MID+FWD+FWD+FWD

Sources: official 26-man squads via football-data.org · Premier League roster fallback when feed lags. Loading saved picks…

HEAD-TO-HEAD · 6 DIMENSIONS

Spain vs Morocco — where each one wins

Each row scores the two teams 0–100 on a dimension. Longer bar = stronger. The colour-coded chip on the right names the winner of each axis.

FormHow strong they are on paper (FIFA world ranking)
ESP +6
99
93
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
ESP +14
32
18
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL
0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
ESP +25
100
75
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
ESP +32
92
60
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
ESP +33
99
66
Spain
Morocco
SQUAD CLUBS · PL PERSPECTIVE

Whose PL players are at the World Cup

If you own any of these clubs' assets in FPL, this matchup matters to your pre-season — tournament minutes here become Saturday minutes in August.

SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN

Where Spain's 7 PL players come from

For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Spain's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Arsenal leads with 3 players (43%).

7PL STARS
Arsenal3 · 43%
Spurs1 · 14%
Chelsea1 · 14%
Man City1 · 14%
Crystal Palace1 · 14%
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN

Where Morocco's 4 PL players come from

For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Morocco's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Man Utd leads with 1 player (25%).

4PL STARS
Man Utd1 · 25%
Crystal Palace1 · 25%
West Ham1 · 25%
Sunderland1 · 25%
ONSIDE VERDICT

Edge to Spain · with confidence

  • ·Spain sit #2 in the FIFA world ranking — 6 places clear of Morocco.
  • ·Spain's squad carries 7 Premier League regulars vs Morocco's 4 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
  • ·Historical confederation strength leans heavily Spain's way — every WC since 1934 has been won by a UEFA or CONMEBOL side.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
AxisSpainMoroccoEdge
Form9993ESP +6
PL footprint3218ESP +14
Host edge00level
Group seed10075ESP +25
Confed9260ESP +32
Experience9966ESP +34
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS

Spain vs Morocco

SPAIN
MOROCCO
FORM SCORE
97
88
ATTACK
93
85
DEFENCE
87
79
EXPERIENCE
83
76
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN

Strength by department

SPAIN
  • Attack78
  • Midfield73
  • Defence68
  • GK58
MOROCCO
  • Attack72
  • Midfield67
  • Defence62
  • GK52
PREVIOUS WORLD CUP ENCOUNTERS

No previous WC encounters

These two haven't met at a World Cup in our 2002-2022 window. Qualifier + friendly history will be added as football-data feed warms up.

WC 2002-2022
Spain vs Morocco
No meeting in this window

Source: openfootball/worldcup.json (CC0). World Cup 2002 → 2022 inclusive.

KEY PLAYERS · BOTH SIDES

The match-defining names

SPAIN

Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Spain.

View full Spain squad →
MOROCCO

Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Morocco.

View full Morocco squad →
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Spain vs Morocco — World Cup 2026 Head-to-Head · Onside