ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 21: Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain celebrates with teammate Rodri #16 after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium on June 21, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Watch: Yamal makes his mark with 1st career World Cup goal

Gianluca Nesci
Patrick Smith - FIFA / FIFA / Getty

Lamine Yamal is on the board at the 2026 World Cup.

The Spanish superstar, making his first start of the tournament after overcoming a hamstring injury, opened the scoring in the 10th minute of Sunday's match against Saudi Arabia with a close-range finish.

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The 18-year-old phenom is just the second teenager to score a World Cup goal for Spain, following in Barcelona teammate Gavi's footsteps.

La Roja, one of the pretournament favorites, were held to a shocking goalless draw in their opener against Cape Verde, with Yamal only able to come off the bench late in that match due to his aforementioned ailment.

Yamal's insertion into the lineup was one of four changes that head coach Luis de la Fuente made to his starting XI for the Group He encounter, and it paid immediate dividends.

Mikel Oyarzabal added a pair of goals as Spain built a 3-0 lead before the 25th minute in Atlanta. The Spaniards went on to claim a dominant 4-0 win.

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