Spain, one of the pre-tournament favourites to win the World Cup, were held to a 0-0 draw by 64th-ranked Cape Verde on Monday in the first major shock of the group stages.
Sixty-one places split Spain and the African nation — debuting in a World Cup — in the world rankings but the Euro 2024 champions couldn’t find a way past goalkeeper Vozinha, 40.
Spain turned to Lamine Yamal off the bench in a bid to break the deadlock but even the Barcelona star couldn’t impact the game.
Saudi Arabia and Uruguay face off in the other Group H game later on Monday.
Read more:Spain 1-1 Iraq (Jun 4, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN
While a huge shock given the difference in starting XIs, Cape Verde’s ranking and Spain’s status in many betting markets as joint-favourites with France, the European giants’ recent World Cup form has not been impressive.
Spain have only won three games since winning their first World Cup in 2010 — against Australia in 2014, Iran in 2018 and Costa Rica in 2022 — while they have only ever opened the tournament four times in their history (1934, 2002, 2006 and 2022).
