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Spain begins its journey this Monday in the when it faces Cape Verde at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, at 12:00 PM Cuba time, in the first match of the .
On paper, La Roja is considered one of the top favorites not only to win the match but also to contend for the title. However, they will face a team that comes propelled by one of the most compelling stories of the tournament.
It will be the , also marking Cape Verde's debut in a World Cup, as one of the four debuting teams in this first edition with 48 teams.
Although it had never qualified for a World Cup, Cape Verde does not arrive as a mere guest. The small African nation topped Group D of the African qualifiers with 23 points from 10 matches, eliminating Cameroon, and secured its historic ticket with a 3-0 victory over Eswatini in October 2025.
Much of that success can be attributed to a strategy based on the diaspora: none of the 26 players called up play in the local league, and most of them are pursuing their careers in European leagues, primarily in Portugal, the Netherlands, and France.
That international experience has allowed them to compete head-to-head against rivals with greater tradition. The team had already reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and 2023.
Spain, for its part, arrives backed by an impressive streak of results. The team led by Luis de la Fuente has not lost a match in regulation time since March 2024, when they fell to Colombia, although in the final of the UEFA Nations League 2025, they succumbed to Portugal in penalties (2-2, with 5-3 in the shootout).
However, the coach faces the debut with significant physical doubts. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have been declared fit, but everything suggests they would start from the bench, with Álex Baena likely to be the starter on the left wing alongside Ferrán Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal in attack.
The Spain squad for the World Cup includes eight players from FC Barcelona, highlighting the importance of the Catalan club in the current generation of the national team.
The recent experience calls for caution. In Qatar 2022, Spain dazzled with a 7-0 victory over Costa Rica in their debut, but they did not win another match in the tournament and were eliminated by Morocco in the Round of 16.
The history against African teams is not particularly encouraging either. Since that World Cup, Spain's only encounter with a team from the continent was a goalless draw against Egypt, struggling to impose their game.
The first day of the tournament already raised an alert: Ivory Coast defeated Ecuador 1-0 in the 90th minute, demonstrating the physical intensity characteristic of African teams in the final moments.
Historically, team dynamics, and current football form, Spain stands out as a clear favorite. However, the rise of Cape Verde and the unpredictable nature of World Cup debuts suggest that La Roja's opening match in Atlanta could be more challenging than the forecasts indicate.
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