Spain vs Cape Verde Prediction: World Cup 2026 Match Preview

We look ahead to Monday’s Group G match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our Spain vs Cape Verde prediction and preview. Coming into this tournament as European champions, can La Roja get off to a winning start against the debutants?

Spain vs Cape Verde: The Key Insights

• The Opta supercomputer is very much expecting Spain to start their World Cup campaign on the front foot, with 87.2% of the pre-match simulations ending in victory for the UEFA Euro 2024 winners.
• Spain are appearing in their 17th World Cup and a 13th in a row, which is the second-longest current run of consecutive participations for a European nation after Germany’s 19.
• Cape Verde are the 14th African team to participate at the tournament, and will be aiming to become the first CAF side since Ghana in 2006 to reach the knockout stages on their World Cup debut.

A nation expects as the reigning European champions make their bow at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Euro 2024 winners Spain opening their tournament against Cape Verde at the Atlanta Stadium in Georgia.

Kicking off Group H – which also includes Saudi Arabia and Uruguay – against one of four first-time participants at this World Cup, Luis de la Fuente’s side will want to lay down an early marker for the rest of the tournament.

After beating England 2–1 in the decider of their last major tournament two years ago, Spain enter this World Cup sat second in the FIFA rankings, having topped their qualification group with five victories from six games.

As European champions, going all the way this summer would make it just the fourth time a team has held both the world and European titles simultaneously, after West Germany (Euro 1972, 1974 World Cup), France (1998 WC, Euro 2000) and Spain themselves (Euro 2008, WC 2010, Euro 2012).

De la Fuente has returned Spain to glory, and his side are currently unbeaten in their last 31 competitive matches, winning 25 since a 2-0 loss to Scotland in March 2023 – it’s their longest ever run of non-friendlies without defeat.

That dominance has been reflected by Spain managing an average of 9.7 shots on target per 90 minutes in their qualification campaign for this World Cup, more than any other team.

The scorer of Spain’s winner in that Euro 2024 final, Mikel Oyarzabal was one of just three players with 10+ goal involvements in the UEFA qualifiers, with his six goals and four assists only beaten by Erling Haaland (18) and Memphis Depay (12).

Oyarzabal has continued to get on the scoresheet since Spain booked their place at this World Cup, scoring three times in their four 2026 friendlies, with Victor Muñoz, Ferran Torres and Pedri also making their mark.

However, Spain’s record is far from infallible at recent World Cups, and they’ve only won one of their last six matches at the tournament inside 90 minutes – a 7-0 victory against Costa Rica in the 2022 group stage.

That victory may set the benchmark for Spain, who face a Cape Verde side playing their first ever match at the World Cup, after beating traditional African giants Cameroon to top spot in their CAF qualifying group.

Cape Verde’s only defeat in qualifying came away to Cameroon (4–1), though the Blue Sharks did post the lowest goal difference (+8) among CAF teams that reached this World Cup.

One of four tournament debutants alongside Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, Cape Verde have twice qualified for the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations under head coach, Bubista.

In fact, Cape Verde have advanced to the knockout stages in three of their four total AFCON appearances, reaching the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2023 – the latter under Bubista.

Finishing their qualifying campaign with six victories from seven, Cape Verde come into this World Cup firmly on up, sweeping both Serbia and Bermuda aside by 3–0 scorelines in their two pre-tournament friendlies.

Forward Dailon Livramento scored four goals in their last five qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup; he netted the opening goal in three of them, including in a vital 1–0 win over Cameroon.

Led by veteran former Lille and Nottingham Forest winger Ryan Mendes, Cape Verde have several names known to Spain’s players despite being a somewhat unknown quantity by comparison, including Villarreal centre-back Logan Costa.

Spain vs Cape Verde Head-to-Head

This will be the first ever meeting between Spain and Cape Verde, with the African island nation making their bow on the biggest footballing stage of all.

Nigeria are the only CAF nation to have ever beaten Spain at a World Cup, winning 3–2 in the 1998 group stage.

La Roja’s last two games against African sides were both against Morocco, drawing 2-2 in 2018 before a goalless stalemate (and a 3–0 loss on penalties) in the 2022 quarter-finals.

Spain vs Cape Verde Prediction

As the European champions face off against a World Cup debutant ranked 67th in the world, the Opta supercomputer sees a Spanish victory as extremely likely in this Group H opener.

From 25,000 pre-match simulations, De la Fuente’s side came out on top in 87.2% of the outcomes, suggesting that Spain could make a significant statement right from the off.

A draw stands at an 8.1% probability with a Cape Verde victory even lower at just 4.8%, but having already shocked the world just by reaching this tournament, Bubista’s Blue Sharks may have another upset in their arsenal.

Spain vs Cape Verde Squads

Spain: David Raya, Joan García, Unai Simón, Marc Pubill, Alejandro Grimaldo, Eric García, Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Marcos Llorente, Mikel Merino, Fabián Ruiz, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Yéremy Pino, Álex Baena, Rodri, Martín Zubimendi, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Víctor Muñoz, Borja Iglesias.

Cape Verde: Vozinha, Márcio Rosa, CJ dos Santos, Stopira, Diney Borges, Pico Lopes, Logan Costa, Sidny Cabral, Steven Moreira, Wagner Pina, Kelvin Pires, Kevin Pina, João Paulo, Jamiro Monteiro, Deroy Duarte, Laros Duarte, Yannick Semedo, Telmo Arcanjo, Jovane Cabral, Gilson Benchimol, Garry Rodrigues, Willy Semedo, Dailon Livramento, Ryan Mendes, Nuno da Costa, Hélio Varela.

Spain vs Cape Verde Predicted Lineups

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