Spain held by 64th-ranked Cape Verde in 1st major World Cup shockplayBurley slams ‘extremely pedestrian’ Spain after Cape Verde draw (1:23)ESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsJun 15, 2026, 02:27 PM ET
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Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites 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 stage.
Sixty-one places split Spain and the African nation 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 Monday.
Cape Verde players celebrate after holding Spain to a draw. Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesSpain’s team is filled with superstar players. But they were frustrated by the underdogs from Cape Verde, with Vozinha pulling off a string of saves before halftime.Barcelona forward Ferran Torres came closest to scoring for Spain, hitting the bar with one shot and later forcing a save from Vozinha on another well-struck ball.
The keeper also denied Pedri and pushed away another potential score late in the half.
Cape Verde — a group of islands with around half a million inhabitants — is playing at its first World Cup.
Cape Verde actually had a chance to in the game, but Diney Borges’ late header was saved by Spain keeper Unai Simón.
Lamine Yamal came off the bench but couldn’t find the goal for Spain. Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images”We know we can improve,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente mentioned after the game. “We know we could have won the game today with what happened.”We lacked freshness and being clinical. We have to keep growing, finding everyone’s rhythm. That’s what we’ll do over the next four days. We know our opponent was strong physically. We lacked quality, the final touch that these players usually have. We lacked those details, to score with the chances we have. But football is like that.”Though the result was a huge shock given the difference in starting XIs, Cape Verde’s ranking and Spain’s status in many betting markets as joint-favorites with France, the European giants’ recent World Cup form has not been impressive.
Spain have won only three games since winning their first World Cup in 2010 — against Australia in 2014, Iran in 2018 and Costa Rica in 2022 — and have won their opening game of the tournament only four times (1934, 2002, 2006 and 2022).
Information from ESPN’s Alex Kirkland and Associated Press was used in this report.
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