Spain Held to a Goalless Draw by World Cup Debutants Cape Verde in Atlanta Opener

Spain, under the leadership of Luis de la Fuente, failed to score in their opening match of the tournament against Cape Verde, who were making their debut at the World Cup. The match in Atlanta ended 0–0.

Despite dominating on the pitch, the Spanish found no way to break through the opponent's dense defensive wall. The hero of the match was Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who repelled almost every dangerous chance. Before the match, his Instagram account had around 50,000 followers. Now their number has exceeded 6 million.

"Thank you to all Cape Verdeans around the world. To draw with Spain, one of the best teams in the world, is a great source of pride," he said after the game.

In the 70th minute, Luis de la Fuente made substitutions in search of the winning goal. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams came on in place of Fabián and Gavi, and later Dani Olmo replaced Ferran Torres. Despite controlling the ball through Pedri and Rodri, the Spanish were unable to find the final pass to create real chances.

For most of the match, Cape Verde played with an ultra-low block, neutralising the reigning European champions with a strictly organised defence.

"We created chances, but we lacked precision in our passing to create more goalscoring situations. Sometimes the ball simply doesn't go in. There were shots, opportunities, and the desire to settle the outcome of the game quickly. We know it's very difficult, and we know that it's incredibly hard to win here," Luis de la Fuente commented on the outcome of the game.

The 2026 World Cup is being held for the first time in three countries at once (the USA, Mexico, and Canada) and, for the first time, brings together 48 national teams in 12 groups of four. Each team plays three matches in the group. Ahead of Spain are matches against Saudi Arabia (21 June at 6:00 PM Spanish time) and Uruguay (27 June at 2:00 AM). The team must finish the group stage in the top two to reach the play-offs. La Cotorra has put together an up-to-date guide to bars in Valencia where you can watch the matches.

The match took place the day after FIFA permitted the use of the Spanish language at all of the tournament's press conferences. This decision put an end to the disputes that had arisen at the start of the championship and had drawn criticism from Spanish-speaking journalists and teams.