In what's been billed as a clash of titans, the United States women's national team are set to face Spain in match one of a two-game series on Saturday. Both teams are ranked among the world's best, with Spain No. 1 and the United States No. 2 in official FIFA rankings. Spain first took the top spot after winning the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the USWNT reclaimed it following a gold-medal run at the 2024 Olympics, but Spain snatched back the bragging rights after an impressive 2025 and have kept them ever since. Now the two sides are at an inflection point, roughly eight months away from the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, with a pair of friendlies years in the making. The teams have met only four times before, most recently in a warm-up for the 2023 World Cup, when the USWNT lost 2-0 to Spain in October 2022 at El Sadar Stadium in Pamplona. The roster was entirely different then, and you could argue that these upcoming friendlies have quickly shifted from a battle of heavyweight contenders to an experimental temperature check. Both sides are missing multiple key players, and coaches have already said that, with the rosters not at full strength, the games serve more as a learning opportunity than a true test. "I think a team that has developed players in an ecosystem, whether it's for the national teams pathway or the national game pathway, with a single methodology, with their coach education, developing the elite one way, and then developing the grassroots exactly the same way, and having that clear identity - is the thing that stands them apart," USWNT coach Emma Hayes said in pregame comments about Spain's evolution over the years. "That's the quality of their coach education. It's world-leading for the volume of coaches it produces. It's accessible. It's mirrored on the women's side. I think they do it better than anyone else in the world, and they are where they are because of that. Because players have been developed with a really clear identity from a really young age, and doesn't matter if you're on the men's side, the women's side, it's identical, and that for me is what sets them apart," she said. Still, the roster changes won't stop the spotlight from shining on these two teams. If this has become more of a training ground than a World Cup knockout-round preview, what can Spain expect to get out of this international window? Plenty. It'll start with who Spain are missing this window. Initially, when Spain head coach Sonia Bermudez named her roster, there was no Aitana Bonmati. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner suffered a trans-syndesmotic fracture of her left fibula, and while she did make a return to play in May, she is still managing lingering pain. She's been the face of a rising football program over the last few years, and her absence gives Spain a unique chance to see how they function without her. The results have been favorable. Not as a slight to Bonmati, but as a massive reflection of Spain's program and their footballing culture. The team already qualified for the 2027 World Cup by dominating its group, including a 4-0 blowout against England, and now looks ahead to preparing for the tournament. Over the last nine months, La Roja have come to know what it is to win with and without Bonmati. Ahead of the USWNT matches, three other starters withdrew: Mariona Caldentey, Vicky Lopez and starting goalkeeper Cata Coll. To make matters more complicated, the day before the first game there were two more departures: veteran Mapi Leon and star attacker Claudia Pina. But don't feel too bad; Bermudez already called in Alba Redondo, Natalia Ramos, Eunate Astralaga and now Lucia Garcia -- the former Manchester United and current CF Monterrey winger.
🔴 OFICIAL | Lucía García viajará este sábado a Washington para incorporarse a la @sefutbolfem. 🔗 https://t.co/BAU3ZL25RW.#JugarLucharYGanar pic.twitter.com/Dg5LSEz5oc
— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) October 9, 2026
Having a deep roster, with particularly talented midfielders, helps. They'll still have Alexia Putellas, a two-time Ballon d'Or winner and the most-capped player on the team (148). They'll also have up-and-coming prospects Clara Serrajordi and Fiamma Benitez. Patri Guijarro is also literally right there. If you've been living under the shadow of Plymouth Rock and have no idea who Patri is, try to remember who Julie Ertz was during the 2019 World Cup: an outlandishly good defensive midfielder who wasn't just some midfield cog but the literal crank that was needed to shift everything together. Now imagine she'd actually been playing that role at the international level her entire career, not just for one senior tournament, all while sharpening her skills against the ancient stones of Europe; that's Patri. "I think the playmakers [are underrated], better than anyone else in the world. And I think Patri Guijarro in midfield. Yes, Bonmati and Putellas are world-class players. I'm big fans of both of them, but I think Patri Guijarro is an exceptional football player," Hayes said. Spain's overall structure is rooted in possession. Quick, short passes that somehow also function as patient build-up play. It's their staple, and it has translated into undeniable success in recent years. But Bermudez is adamant that the team not be limited to what it knows, and that it can adapt while still scoring goals. With the USWNT also missing key starters like Naomi Girma, Emily Sonnett and Sam Coffey, the lessons Spain take from these games will matter more in the long run than who is best right now. "I think it's honestly about the team game rather than the individual game. In order to defend well against them, you have to do it well as a collective. If in order to attack well against them, you have to do it well as a collective, and that might not be the flashy answer, you know. But there'll be matchups that can bring to life some of the one-v-one capabilities in our team. But truly, it's a team game; it's being able to execute all of those things as a collective. For me, that will be the difference between winning and losing the game," Hayes said.
How to watch USWNT vs. Spain, odds
Date: Saturday, Oct. 10 | Time: 2:30 p.m. ET Location: Audi Field -- Washington, D.C. TV: TBS | Live stream: HBO Max Odds: USWNT +260; Draw +250; Spain -110
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