The Spanish team failed to break its complicated tradition in World Cup premieres. The goalless draw against Cape Verde at the Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) became the twelfth setback – between draws and defeats – in their 17 debuts in the final phases of the World Cup, a tournament in which they have only achieved five victories in their first match.
In a match with low pace and little fluidity, Spain dominated possession and generated several clear chances, especially in the second half, but was met with an orderly Cape Verde defense and the interventions of goalkeeper Vozinha.
Lamine Yamal, one of the main figures of La Roja, entered from the bench and was one of the most active players in search of imbalance. His participation left a historical record.
At 18 years and 342 days old, Yamal met the Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha, 40 years and 22 days old, on the field. According to statistician Mister Chip, both established the largest age difference between two rival footballers making their debut in the same World Cup match: 21 years and 45 days. The previous record corresponded to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with 19 years and 207 days between the Englishman David James and the Algerian Ryad Boudebouz.
Of its last 15 World Cup debuts, Spain has only won three: 7-0 against Costa Rica in Qatar 2022, 4-0 against Ukraine in Germany 2006 and 3-1 against Slovenia in Korea-Japan 2002. Its other two victories in debuts date back to its first participations: 3-1 against Brazil in Italy 1934 and 3-1 against the United States in Brazil 1950.
The 0-0 against Cape Verde represents Spain’s fifth draw in a World Cup debut. The previous ones were 3-3 against Portugal in Russia 2018, 2-2 against South Korea in the United States 1994, 0-0 against Uruguay in Italy 1990 and 1-1 against Honduras in Spain 1982.
As for the defeats in premieres, the most painful continues to be the 1-5 against the Netherlands in Brazil 2014. The others were the 0-1 against Switzerland in South Africa 2010, the 2-3 against Nigeria in France 1998, the 0-1 against Brazil in Mexico 1986, the 1-2 against Austria in Argentina 1978, the 1-2 against Argentina in England 1966 and the 0-1 against Czechoslovakia in Chile 1962.
In total, Spain has accumulated a record of five wins, five draws and seven losses in its 17 World Cup debuts, with 31 goals scored and 24 conceded.
Despite this irregular record in the opening matches, the team led by Luis de la Fuente has shown the ability to react on other occasions. Now, in Group H, they must score against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to keep their aspirations of advancing to the knockout phase of the 2026 World Cup alive.