Spain faces Iraq in Riazor tonight in its first match of preparation for the 2026 World Cup, and the game arrives with up to eight senior debuts on the table. Marc Pubill will finally have a chance to break through after missing out in March, although he is not in the starting lineup for now.
That is why this match is drawing attention today: it is the first real test of Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup build-up, played at home and shaped by absences that force him to look deeper into the squad. Rodri and Pedri have been left out for rest, and the opportunity opens for players such as Leo Román, Javi Rodríguez, Jon Martín, Turrientes, Javi Guerra, Bernal and Gonzalo to make their first appearance with the senior side.
The selection picture already has some of its outline. Jon Martín and Bernal are in the starting eleven, while Pubill waits for his moment after the frustration of March. Sergio Gómez has already been through this stage, debuting on 12-10-2024 in the 1-0 win over Denmark in Murcia, and Jesús Rodríguez followed on 4-9-2025 in the 0-3 loss in Sofia. Spain’s support players know this is the kind of night that can turn a training-ground name into a World Cup option.
Iraq, meanwhile, comes in as a World Cup team too, placed in Group I with France, Senegal and Norway. The teams have met before, most notably in Spain’s 1-0 win over Iraq at the 2009 Confederations Cup, when Villa scored the only goal. Tonight’s match will go ahead in normal conditions after doubts over the pitch were cleared up following damage caused by a Deportivo fan invasion, and Iraq will wear white.
When the final whistle sounds in A Coruña, the debutants are likely to head off on vacation, but Spain’s staff will stay with the much bigger question. The first friendlies before a World Cup do not settle a roster, but they do tell a manager which support players can stand up when the pressure starts to resemble the real thing.
