2010 winners Spain get their World Cup campaign underway against a debuting Cape Verde side who rank 67th in the world.
After winning their fourth European title by beating England in Berlin, Spain now look to replicate their 2008/2010 Euro and World Cup double with victory in the States.
Their first opponents are the smallest nation (by land size) to ever play at a World Cup, and the second smallest by population.
Formerly recognised underneath the banner of Portugal, Cape Verde became independent in 1975, and played their first international game as a sovereign nation three years later.
After joining FIFA in 1986, it would take until 2013 for them to reach their first major tournament, qualifying for AFCON where they would make a run to the Quarter-Finals.
That run would be replicated three years ago in the Ivory Coast, but Cape Verde would fail to qualify for 2025’s edition, finishing bottom of their qualifying group.
This, however, did not faze the islanders, who would go on to top their World Cup qualifying group ahead of five-time African Champions Cameroon. A 3-0 win against Eswatini in October marked the historic occasion with raucous celebrations in the capital, Praia.
Now, the Cape Verdeans face a baptism of fire against the No.2 ranked nation in the world.
Team News –
Spain:
Spain have no injury concerns heading into their opening game.
Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal both did not feature in the warm-up games after injuries sustained towards the end of the season for their clubs, though are thought to be fit enough to feature.
Due to having no minutes since sustaining their injuries, and the nature of the opposition, they may well only feature from the bench.
Unai Simon is also likely to be the preferred option for Luis de la Fuente over Arsenal’s Premier League-winning David Raya.
Cape Verde:
Likewise, Cape Verde have no injuries heading into their World Cup opener, and look set to be at full strength for the mammoth task ahead.
Predicted Lineups –
Spain:
Simon; Cucurella, Laporte, Cubarsi, Llorente; Rodri, Ruiz, Pedri; Baena, Oyarzabal, Torres
Cape Verde:
Vozinha; Joao Paulo, Logan Costa, R. Lopes, Moreira; Lenini, W. Semedo; J. Cabral, J. Monteiro, R. Mendes; Livramento
Pre Match Analysis –
Spain’s style under De La Fuente is a variation of the traditional Spanish ‘tiki-taka’ style, with a slightly more direct approach in terms of making each pass count, whilst also being happy to be more pragmatic when necessary.
On the other hand, Cape Verde play a very direct style of football, and head coach Bubista has insisted they will stick to their philosophy, regardless of the level of opposition.
As such, they can be expected to try and use their pace in attack with balls in behind Spain, and will try to catch them out on the break.
There is no question Cape Verde will be on the back foot for much of the game, but that may play into their hands if Spain adopt a high line.
That being said, the task at hand for them is enormous, and they will have never faced a team with such quality in a competitive game ever before.
For Spain, they will likely look to punish Cape Verde early and allow themselves to manage the game with tougher tests to come.
Key Players –
Spain – Mikel Oyarzabal:
With Yamal and Williams likely to start on the bench, much of the onus will lie at the feet of Oyarzabal to be the main goal threat for Spain.
Now the starting striker, the 29-year-old scored six times in qualifying as well as four in Spain’s run to the Nations League final.
This will be the Real Sociedad player’s World Cup debut.
Cape Verde – Logan Costa:
The 25-year-old Centre-half is comfortably Cape Verde’s highest-level player, who was a regular for Villarreal in La Liga after joining from Toulouse.
However, injury has kept him out most of the 2025/26 campaign, meaning he only played 30 minutes of competitive football this season and missed the back end of qualifying.
That being said, a player of his quality will be vital in marshalling the Cape Verde backline against what will almost certainly be wave after wave of Spanish attack.
Match Details –
Date: Monday 15th June 2026
Kick-Off: 12:00pm EDT/5:00pm BST
Venue: Atlanta Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia
Where to Watch?: ITV 1 & ITV X (UK)
Follow Live: VAVEL.Com
