Tuesday June 16, 2026
Ferran Torres (C) of Spain competes during the group H match between Spain and Cape Verde at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, the United States, June 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
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Spain’s World Cup opener delivered frustration rather than the expected fast start, as the pre-tournament favorite was forced to settle for a 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde in Monday’s Group H encounter.
La Roja spent much of the night on the front foot, but Cabo Verde had the decisive figure between the posts in veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, who turned away chance after chance to preserve the stalemate.
Spain arrived on Monday with the weight of expectation after being billed as one of the teams to beat. Lamine Yamal was not deemed ready to start and was named on the bench, while head coach Luis de la Fuente went with Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal up front in a 4-4-2 setup. In midfield, Fabian Ruiz, Pedri, Rodri and Gavi dictated possession, Marc Cucurella, who recently completed his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, lined up at left-back, and Unai Simon was chosen in goal.
For Cabo Verde, this was a landmark debut at the elite level, and the opening test could hardly have been tougher, with all-time leading scorer Ryan Mendes spearheading the attack.
In the first senior international meeting between the two sides, Spain found plenty of the ball but little room to operate against Cabo Verde’s disciplined and compact back line.
The closest Spain came before the break arrived in the 39th minute, when Torres saw his close-range attempt crash against the crossbar before Oyarzabal’s follow-up was smothered by Vozinha.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper then stepped up again shortly after, dropping smartly to stop Torres’ low drive and later diving across his goal to tip away a header from Aymeric Laporte.
Spain remained in control after halftime, yet the pattern never changed as Cabo Verde continued to hold firm and deny a finishing touch.
Yamal was finally introduced in the 71st minute, but the Barcelona teenager could not tilt the balance.
With time running out, De la Fuente pressed forward in search of a winner and sent on Dani Olmo and Nico Williams, but the breakthrough Spain needed never arrived.
Spain next plays Saudi Arabia, while Cabo Verde takes on Uruguay.
