Spain vs Cape Verde Islands — World Cup: stats, lineups & analysis
HighlightsFIFAYouTubeMatch Events
- 16′Cape Verde Islands, yellow card:
- Half-time
- 61′Cape Verde Islands, substitution:off
- 61′Cape Verde Islands, substitution:off
- 61′Cape Verde Islands, substitution:off
- 71′Spain, substitution:off
- 71′Spain, substitution:off
- 76′Cape Verde Islands, substitution:off
- 79′Cape Verde Islands, substitution:off
- 81′Spain, substitution:off
- 87′Spain, substitution:off
- 90+3′Spain, yellow card:
- Full-time
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Match report
Spain held goalless by resolute Cape Verde Islands
Spain and Cape Verde Islands played out a scoreless draw in their opening World Cup Group Stage match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With no goals and no notable incidents recorded during the contest, the result was shaped almost entirely by the balance of pressure and possession that Spain exerted throughout.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Spain dominated territorially, holding the majority of possession and peppering the Cape Verde Islands goal with shots, but could not find a way through. Cape Verde Islands, managed by Pedro Leitao Brito, sat deep and limited their own attacking output, content to absorb pressure rather than commit men forward, and left with a point that will please a side unaccustomed to facing such sustained dominance.
Referee Adham Mohammad booked one player from each side as the match wore on, but neither team was reduced in numbers, and the game finished level to open Group Stage - 1 for both nations.
Vózinha produced the standout display of the match for Cape Verde Islands, earning a rating of 9.6 as the visiting goalkeeper repelled a heavy volume of Spanish attempts to preserve the clean sheet.
Spain's overwhelming 74% share of possession underlined how thoroughly they controlled proceedings without being able to convert that dominance into goals.
Spain and Cape Verde Islands drew 0–0 (half-time 0–0).
Spain met Cape Verde Islands in the World Cup (Group Stage - 1). Kick-off was Monday, 15 June 2026, 16:00 UTC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Referee: Adham Mohammad.
Team pages: Spain · Cape Verde Islands · World Cup
Starting line-ups
Spain (4-3-3)
- 23 Unai Simón
- 24 Marc Cucurella
- 14 Aymeric Laporte
- 22 Pau Cubarsí
- 5 Marcos Llorente
- 20 Pedri
- 16 Rodri (c)
- 8 Fabián Ruiz
- 9 Gavi
- 21 Mikel Oyarzabal
- 7 Ferran Torres
Cape Verde Islands (4-1-4-1)
- 1 Vózinha
- 13 Sidny Lopes Cabral
- 3 Diney
- 4 Pico
- 22 Steven Moreira
- 6 Kevin Pina
- 7 Jovane Cabral
- 10 Jamiro Monteiro
- 15 Laros Duarte
- 20 Ryan Mendes (c)
- 19 Dailon Livramento
About this match
On this page: the Spain vs Cape Verde Islands final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this World Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Spain 0–0 Cape Verde Islands. Explore more on the Spain and Cape Verde Islands team pages or the World Cup page.