WC 2002-2022
Spain vs Uruguay
No meeting in this window
—
WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · GROUP H MEETING
🇪🇸
Spain
GROUP HFIFA #27 PL
vs
🇺🇾
Uruguay
GROUP HFIFA #172 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. Uruguay share that group as the mid-tier seed with 2 PL regulars.
The two meet directly in the group stage. The result is critical — Group H's order through R32 is decided across just three matchdays, and head-to-head between equally-ranked teams is the second tiebreaker after points.
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 + Uruguay. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.
0 / 11ESP 0·URU 0
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 Uruguay — 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 +1599
84
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
ESP +2332
9
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
ESP +25100
75
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
URU +392
95
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
ESP +999
90
Spain
Uruguay
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%).
Arsenal3 · 43%
Spurs1 · 14%
Chelsea1 · 14%
Man City1 · 14%
Crystal Palace1 · 14%
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Where Uruguay's 2 PL players come from
For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Uruguay's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Man Utd leads with 1 player (50%).
Man Utd1 · 50%
Spurs1 · 50%
ONSIDE VERDICT
Edge to Spain · with confidence
- ·Spain sit #2 in the FIFA world ranking — 15 places clear of Uruguay.
- ·Spain's squad carries 7 Premier League regulars vs Uruguay's 2 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
| Axis | Spain | Uruguay | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | 99 | 84 | ESP +15 |
| PL footprint | 32 | 9 | ESP +23 |
| Host edge | 0 | 0 | level |
| Group seed | 100 | 75 | ESP +25 |
| Confed | 92 | 95 | URU +3 |
| Experience | 99 | 90 | ESP +9 |
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS
Spain vs Uruguay
SPAIN
URUGUAY
FORM SCORE
97
75
ATTACK
93
75
DEFENCE
87
66
EXPERIENCE
83
66
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN
Strength by department
SPAIN
- Attack78
- Midfield73
- Defence68
- GK58
URUGUAY
- Attack63
- Midfield58
- Defence53
- GK43
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.
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 →URUGUAY
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Uruguay.
View full Uruguay squad →WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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