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Lamine Yamal scored the first goal in the 10th minute as Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in its second Group H match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Atlanta.
The 18-year-old had played only 19 minutes in Spain's opening 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. He made his first start of the tournament after recovering from a hamstring injury in April. Coach Luis De la Fuente said Yamal’s brief appearance in the first match was part of a careful plan to bring him back to full fitness.
Mikel Oyarzabal got the ball on the left side of the box and sent a low cross to the back post, where Yamal finished easily. Oyarzabal then scored two quick goals, putting Spain 3-0 ahead after only 24 minutes. Marc Cucurella added the final goal in the 49th minute when his shot deflected off Saudi defender Hassan al-Tambakti and went in after goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais had blocked the first attempt.
"'Scoring in the World Cup, it's an incredibly special feeling," Yamal told Spanish television. "I've always dreamed of being at the World Cup, and to be able to score in my first match as a starter is a dream come true."
Yamal shared that just four years ago, during the last World Cup, he was watching the games from his classroom at La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth academy.
Yamal grew up in Rocafonda, a working-class neighborhood in Mataro, about 20 miles north of Barcelona. He joined La Masia when he was seven. At 15, he made his senior debut for Barcelona, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player. A few months later, at 16 years and 87 days old, he scored his first goal for the club, breaking Lionel Messi’s record as Barcelona’s youngest goal scorer.
Yamal made his senior international debut for Spain in 2023 at age 16. He is the first player ever to start at both the World Cup and the UEFA European Championship before turning 19. In 2024, he finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting.
With his goal on Sunday, Yamal became the seventh player ever to score at a World Cup before turning 19. He is also only the second player aged 18 or younger to score the first goal in a World Cup match. The other was Pele, who scored for Brazil against Wales at the 1958 World Cup when he was 17.
This milestone also puts Yamal ahead of Messi in one way: Messi scored his first World Cup goal in 2006 just before his 19th birthday, but Yamal did it two weeks younger.
Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis recognized Yamal’s impact on the game. "When there are players with individual attributes in this game, who can work one-on-one, they can make a difference," Donis said. "This is a player that makes a difference all the time in Spain."
Yamal was taken off at half-time as a precaution, since Spain still has one more group-stage match against Uruguay. Coach De la Fuente said the move was part of the ongoing fitness management. "He would have played more in a different scenario," the coach said. "We had control of the game and we want him to be fit for the next game. It was important for him to feel confident. He is in perfect condition."
The win put Spain at the top of Group H with four points from two matches. It was a big improvement after its opening draw with Cape Verde, which had led to criticism of Spain’s attack.
De la Fuente responded to the criticism. "When someone questions your work, it is only human that anyone with courage and pride reacts to prove people wrong," he said.
Oyarzabal’s two goals made him just the second player since 1966 to be directly involved in three goals in the first 25 minutes of a World Cup match.
Yamal will turn 19 on July 13, one day before the World Cup semifinals. The final is on July 19. Spain came into the tournament as one of the favorites, and its win over Saudi Arabia confirmed its strong position going into the knockout rounds.
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