Spain met Iraq at Estadio Riazor in Coruña on Thursday, June 4, in their first World Cup preparation match — a low-stakes friendly Luis de la Fuente intends to use to evaluate fringe players and possible senior debuts before the tournament.
The game carried immediate weight because it was Spain’s last home tune-up and arrived with form lines that matter: Spain are reigning European champions after Euro 2024, finished top of their World Cup qualifying group ahead of Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria, and have lost only one of their last 28 internationals. The squad was also hunting a 16-match unbeaten home run, and the fixture doubled as Spain’s second-ever meeting with Iraq after a 1-0 win for Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Broadcast details were practical as well as topical for fans: viewers in Spain could watch on TVE La 1, RTVE Play, Movistar+ and TDP Play, with fuboTV España available as another option; in the United States the match was available on fuboTV, ViX and the Fubo Sports Network 4. No transmission rights with confirmed signals were listed for Mexico.
De la Fuente’s selection choices supplied the tension behind the friendly. Several established names were held out to rest, most notably Rodri and Pedri, and others such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Víctor Muñoz, Mikel Zubimendi, Unai Raya and Fabián were not involved in the match dynamic. That absence created space for less-established players — a deliberate test of the depth around Spain’s 26-man World Cup core.
Potential first caps were a clear subplot. Marc Pubill, who missed a chance to debut in March, was expected to be in contention; Leo Román, Javi Rodríguez, Jon Martín, Turrientes, Javi Guerra, Bernal and Gonzalo were all named as players who could record their first senior appearances. The coach handed starts to Jon Martín and Bernal, underlining that this match was a live audition rather than a ceremonial send-off for the Euro winners.
Context for the selection choices matters: Spain’s buildup to the World Cup included logistical worries — a large fan invasion at a recent Deportivo match had threatened the Riazor pitch — but coordinated work between Deportivo and the federation resolved the surface issues in time for the friendly. The fixture also offered Spain a tune-up against an opponent preparing for the World Cup in Group I with France, Senegal and Norway; Iraq wore white for the match, the same pairing that Spain first met in 2009 when David Villa scored the winner.
The immediate friction is simple and concrete. Resting core starters gives the coaching staff new data on players who will be on the fringes of the World Cup squad, but it also delays answers the public wants: which of those fringe players will secure a place in the final tournament squad and who will convert a friendly appearance into an ongoing role. The match was useful for evaluation but left some questions — including a final, official list of senior debuts — unresolved at the final whistle.
What comes next is decisive: Spain will carry the conclusions from Riazor into the next phase of preparation on the road. The squad is due to travel to Mexico for its following friendly, and the performance of the fringe players on June 4 will shape de la Fuente’s decisions as he trims and finalizes plans ahead of Spain’s World Cup opener against Cabo Verde. For viewers, the practical takeaway is immediate — tune to the listed broadcasters for live coverage, and watch which trialed players push themselves from hopefuls into fixtures that count.
