LIVE UPDATES: Spain vs Cape Verde World Cup 2026 – Follow every action, every goal and every celebration

Spain are hopeful that both Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams will be available after missing the final warm-up fixture against Peru.

Cape Verde head into the contest with no reported injury concerns and are expected to have a full squad available.

Team News

Spain will look to Mikel Oyarzabal for inspiration after an impressive qualifying campaign in which he registered six goals and four assists. Notably, four of his six goals came after the hour mark.

Cape Verde’s attacking hopes rest heavily on Dailon Livramento, who scored in four of his last five World Cup qualifying appearances. Three of those goals opened the scoring, underlining his importance to the Blue Sharks.

Players to Watch

Spain have seen over 2.5 goals scored in 14 of their last 17 matches.

Six of Spain’s seven goals in 2026 have arrived before the 60-minute mark.

Cape Verde have suffered just one defeat in 13 matches against European opponents, winning five and drawing seven.

Each of Cape Verde’s last five matches has featured at least one first-half goal.

Key Stats

This will be the first meeting between Spain and Cape Verde in international football.

Spain’s only World Cup defeat against African opposition came against Nigeria in 1998.

Head to Head

Spain enter the tournament carrying the weight of expectation after being identified by Opta’s pre-tournament supercomputer as the most likely winners of the 2026 World Cup, with a 16 per cent chance of lifting the trophy. The reigning European champions undoubtedly possess the quality to go deep into the competition, but recent World Cup history presents a challenge they must overcome.

Since their triumph in 2010, Spain have failed to progress beyond the round of 16 in each of their last three World Cup appearances. That title remains the only occasion they have reached the semi-finals across their previous 14 participations in the tournament. Adding to those concerns, Luis de la Fuente’s side have managed just one victory in their last six World Cup matches, recording four draws and one defeat during that period.

For Cape Verde, this marks a historic milestone as they prepare for their first-ever World Cup match. The island nation has steadily progressed since becoming a FIFA member, and qualification for the 2026 tournament represents the reward for years of development and persistence.

Their ambition now is to emulate Ghana’s achievement of 2006 by becoming the first African nation since then to reach the knockout rounds on their World Cup debut. Recent results suggest they are capable of competing. Cape Verde won six of their seven World Cup qualifying matches while drawing the other, and they also recorded two convincing 3-0 victories in their pre tournament friendlies.

Match Preview and Current Form

Stay with Africasoccer throughout the match for live updates, goals, key incidents and post-match reaction from this World Cup 2026 encounter.

While La Roja arrive with expectations of challenging for the biggest prize in world football, Cape Verde will be determined to make a statement on the grandest stage and continue their remarkable rise in international football.

One of the tournament favourites begins its campaign today as Spain takes on World Cup debutants Cape Verde in a fascinating encounter.

Good afternoon and welcome to Africasoccer’s live coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup clash between Spain and Cape Verde.