Spain’s enormous squad-value gap with Cape Verde underlined by shock draw
Spain opened its 2026 World Cup campaign on Monday with a surprising 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, in the African side’s first appearance in the tournament. The result was especially notable because Spain entered as one of the favorites to win the title.
The financial gap between the two teams is huge. According to Transfermarkt, Spain has the third-most valuable squad in the world, behind only France and England, with an estimated total worth of 1.22 billion euros. Cape Verde’s entire squad is valued at just 54.5 million euros, among the lowest in the World Cup.
That means Spain is worth more than 22 times as much as its opponent, with the difference between the teams estimated at 1.165 billion dollars. Spain winger Lamine Yamal alone is valued at 200 million euros, almost four times the value of Cape Verde’s whole squad.
Cape Verde’s sixth-most valuable player, Helio Varela, is estimated at 2.5 million euros. The standout of the match, goalkeeper Vozinha, has the lowest market value on the team, at 50,000 euros.
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