Spain start their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Cape Verde, who are playing in the tournament for the first time in their history.
Spain come into the competition as one of the favourites, with strong expectations after winning Euro 2024. However, their recent World Cup record has been less impressive, as they have not gone beyond the last 16 in their last three tournaments. They have also struggled for consistent results at the finals in recent years.
Despite this, Spain have strong tournament experience and are expected to compete at the top level again. They have only lost one of their last six World Cup matches, with several draws in that run.
Cape Verde face a major challenge in their first World Cup appearance. They qualified for the tournament for the first time after steady progress in recent years. The team will hope to make history by reaching the knockout stages, something only a few debut teams have managed.
Cape Verde have been in good form, winning six of their last seven World Cup qualifiers and performing well in recent friendly matches.
This is the first ever meeting between the two nations. Spain have only lost once to an African team at a World Cup, back in 1998.
Spain may be boosted by the possible return of key players Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, who missed their final warm-up match. Cape Verde are expected to have a full squad available.
Spain are strong favourites, but Cape Verde will look to cause an upset in their historic opening match.
