Competition/Tour: World Cup 2026, Group H, First Round
Spain out and doubts: no one
Cape Verde exits and doubts: no one
Cape Verde Model Guide:DLDW
Date/time: Monday 15 June 2026, 6pm CET (Barcelona), 5pm GMT/WAT (UK, Nigeria), 12pm ET, 9am PST (USA), 9.30pm EST (India)
place: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
Judgment: Adham Mohammed Touma Makhademeh (Jordan)
How to watch on TV: FOX (USA), ITV 1 (UK), United8 Sports 1 (India), SuperSport (Nigeria), TVE La 1 (Spain), Others
It’s time to RedThe Spanish national team will make its debut at the 2026 World Cup, with Spain playing its first match in Group H against Cape Verde, who are participating for the first time in the tournament, in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday afternoon.
Barcelona fans have been eagerly waiting to see the club’s biggest squad in North America, and after less than ideal starts for Brazil’s Rafinha and Netherlands’ Frenkie de Jong, it’s up to Spain to get Barcelona off to a winning start in the biggest party of the summer.
Spain will be heavy favorites on Monday, but big wins in the World Cup opener are no guarantee of success later in the tournament. Spain learned this the hard way four years ago when they beat Costa Rica 7-0 in their first match and were eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 16 by Morocco, and the magic shown in the opening match completely disappeared against the better teams.
So even if Red If they get a big result on Monday, they will be fully aware that there will be much tougher challenges ahead. Monday’s match is all about a strong performance, a clean sheet and perhaps some goals to build a cushion in goal difference.
Luis de la Fuente confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Lamin Yamal will play some minutes in the second half and that the young star has fully recovered from his injury. The same can be said for Neco Williams, who is also expected to come on as a substitute with the aim of bolstering his fitness and reuniting the damaged winger duo with Yamal later in the group stage.
There will be three Barcelona players in the starting line-up in Pau Cobarci, Pedri and Ferran Torres, and all three looked very good in Spain’s recent friendly match against Peru. Pedri has established himself as the most important non-Yamal player in the squad, and everything will run through him on Monday.
Ferran will be hungry to take advantage of a rare opportunity to start in Lamine’s place and earn more minutes later in the tournament, and both Gavi and Dani Olmo will have the same goal when they come off the bench in this match.
Qatar, Haiti and Australia have already proven that underdogs cannot be taken for granted this World Cup, and Cape Verde can certainly give Spain a fight despite the huge gap in level between the two sides. but Red You look ready to start the World Cup in dominant fashion, sending an early message to the rest of the competitors.
Spain (4-3-3):Simon; Boro, Cupari, Laporte, Cucurella; Fabian, Rodri, Pedri; Ferran, Oyarzabal, Baena
Cape Verde (4-2-3-1): voice; Moreira, Lopez, Costa, Paulo; Semedo, Pena; Mendes, Montero, Cabral; enough
Barring 2022, a World Cup opener is never an easy one for Spain, but I think the difference in quality between the two sides will eventually become evident throughout the 90 minutes. Red They would cruise to a solid win in the opening match: 3-0 Spain.
