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Cape Verde is a small island nation located off the coast of Africa. Its population is just over 524,800 and every single one of them should have been delighted by their football team’s FIFA World Cup result against Spain.
Spain is one of the favorites to win the World Cup this year, but only picked up one point in their match against Cape Verde. The two teams drew 0-0 on Monday in one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far.
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Cape Verde players celebrate after the World Cup Group H soccer match against Spain in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Mike Stewart/AP)
Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha kept Spain at bay in the first half despite an onslaught of shots. Spain had seven shots on target, compared to Cape Verde’s one, but could never find the back of the net.
Mikel Oyarzabal took five of the seven shots.
Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal started the game from the bench, but even he couldn’t find the shot to get past Cape Verde.
The two teams come with one point each in the Group H match. That makes the road for Spain so difficult as they await the result of the Saudi Arabia-Uruguay match later on Monday.
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Cape Verde’s Dailon Livramento and Sidny Lopes Cabral celebrate after the World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Erik S. Lesser/AP)
Cape Verde will make its first World Cup appearance. The nation was part of Portugal when the World Cup first began. Nor did it immediately become a FIFA member.
The country began competing for a World Cup appearance in 2002. They did not qualify for the tournament until this year, when the field expanded to 48 nations.
Cape Verde is ranked 67th among FIFA members.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010 when the tournament took place in South Africa. In the last two tournaments, the nation only made it as far as the round of 16.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha celebrates a 0-0 draw during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Spain and Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman/Associated Press)
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Spain entered this year’s World Cup as the No. 2 seed.
