A CORUÑA, Spain — Spain met Iraq in an international friendly at the Estadio Riazor in A Coruña on Thursday, with both teams using the fixture as part of their final preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the Iraqi Football Association.
The match was Spain’s last game on home soil before departing for the World Cup in North America. The Spanish federation said the fixture was arranged as a send-off for the national team before the tournament begins, while Iraq used the match as part of its preparations for its return to the World Cup stage.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente entered the match managing several fitness concerns. According to comments reported by Spanish media, winger Lamine Yamal and forward Nico Williams were unavailable for the friendly because of injuries, although de la Fuente said he expected both players to be ready for Spain’s opening World Cup match.
“Lamine will be in perfect shape for the first match,” de la Fuente said earlier this week, according to media reports.
The fixture formed part of Spain’s two-match warm-up schedule before opening its World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15. Spain is also scheduled to face Peru in a friendly on June 8 before traveling to its tournament base. The Spanish federation said Iraq would provide a competitive test before the team departs for North America.
For Iraq, the match represented a significant step in preparations for its first World Cup appearance in decades. The Iraqi Football Association announced the friendly in May, describing it as part of the national team’s training program ahead of the tournament. Federation officials said arrangements for the match were finalized during FIFA meetings earlier this year.
The two sides had met only once previously in senior international competition, when Spain defeated Iraq 1-0 at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, according to the Spanish federation.
Spain arrived at the match as the reigning European champion and one of the higher-ranked teams in international football, while Iraq sought additional competitive experience before beginning its World Cup campaign. Team officials from both countries described the fixture as an important opportunity to assess player fitness and squad readiness ahead of the tournament.
As of Thursday evening, both federations remained focused on final World Cup preparations, with Spain scheduled to continue its warm-up program against Peru and Iraq preparing for the start of tournament play later this month.
