Nations Cup 2026 round four preview: Spain v Uruguay

Venue: Estadio Nacional Universidad Complutense, Madrid
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)

Spain head coach Pablo Bouza has named prop Jon Zabala as captain while free-scoring scrum-half Estanislao Bay will partner Bautista Guemes at half-back in game which will see referee Ben O'Keeffe take charge of his 60th test match.

Bay will hope to maintain the form which saw him score four tries during the first three rounds in July, while rising star Oriol Marsinyac Garcia has been named on bench as he looks to maintain his steady rise to prominence.

Uruguay are still searching for their first win in the Nations Cup despite topping the try count with 17 in their three matches so far.

Manuel Leindekar returns to captain Los Teros in what will be Guzmán Barreiro's first test as head coach, with the new man including three uncapped players on the bench in Sebastián Pérez, Mateo Sosa and Pedro Hoblog.

Spain have been victorious in three of their last four meetings with Uruguay, the last of which came in November 2024 in Madrid, the hosts winning that one 33-24 thanks to a brace of tries from Kerman Aurrekoetxea. 

Los Leones have won all three previous meetings with Uruguay in Spain, twice winning in Madrid (2011 and 2024) as well as one clash in Malaga (2016).

Uruguay have won their last three matches in Europe, as many victories as they’d managed in their previous 16 trips to the continent, two of those wins came against Romania (2024 and 2025) and the other against Portugal (2025).