Spain stunned by Cape Verde draw in World Cup opener

Spain began the 2026 World Cup with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, and the result was treated as a major shock in the Spanish media. Marca called the opening game a “disaster,” while SER commentator Tomas Roncero said that if someone had predicted a 0-0 with Cape Verde on draw day, “we would have thought it was science fiction.” Jose Sampedro went further, calling it an “historic disaster” and saying he saw a team that was “very tired, without ideas.”

After the match, coach Luis de la Fuente tried to calm the reaction but admitted his side lacked precision. “We have to keep going the same way,” he said. “We created quite a few chances, but we lacked accuracy in the final action. The opponent was very organized, sat deep and made it hard for us to find open spaces.” He added that Spain lacked “rhythm and freshness” in circulation, even though the team had shots, chances and a strong desire to win, and noted that such games are simply difficult to finish off on that kind of pitch.

De la Fuente also addressed the use of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams from the bench, saying the plan was to integrate them gradually and give them more minutes. He said he was sure they would look better in the next match and continue improving throughout the tournament. Yamal, who entered in the 71st minute, still completed five dribbles, more than any other player in the match.

The statistics highlighted Spain’s frustration. Opta said Spain attempted 27 shots, its highest total in a World Cup match since 1966, matching a 0-0 against Paraguay in 1998. It was also Spain’s fourth recent draw against an African team, following Morocco in 2018 and 2022 and Egypt in a 2026 friendly. Cape Verde, ranked 67th by FIFA, became the fourth opponent under No. 65 to hold Spain to a winless result in recent years. On the other side, goalkeeper Vozinha was named MVP after seven saves and said, “We worked all our lives for this moment, for this dream.” He added that Cape Verde came to the World Cup to compete and would try to win every game. The match also set a World Cup age record, as Yamal, 18 years and 342 days old, faced 40-year-old Vozinha, creating the largest age gap between two opposing players making their tournament debuts in the same match.