Spain vs Cabo Verde: Result, Stats & Predictions (World Cup 2026)
Spain held to a stunning 0-0 draw by World Cup debutants Cabo Verde — 40-year-old keeper Vozinha the hero in Atlanta.
15 June 2026
Result
Spain 0-0 Cabo Verde — Group H, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 15 June 2026.
One of the biggest shocks of the tournament's opening weekend: FIFA World Cup debutants Cabo Verde held European champions Spain to a goalless draw. Spain created chance after chance — 27 shots to Cabo Verde's six — but 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha produced seven saves, including superb stops from Oyarzabal, Laporte and Torres, who also hit the crossbar. Diney Borges nearly won it at the other end; his late header was saved by Unai Simón.
What it means for Last Man Standing pools
Spain were among the most popular "banker" picks for the opening weekend — a team so heavily favoured that most LMS players would have saved them for later rounds. Backing them in game one backfired spectacularly. Anyone who used Spain in round one is now out of their bank early. Cabo Verde, listed at roughly 31/1 pre-match, will have saved no one — this result was simply a point spilled by the overwhelming favourites.
Pre-match forecasts
Spain were priced as short as -1400 favourites before kickoff — implying a win probability of over 90% for most forecasters. Cabo Verde's chances of winning were placed at around 3%, with a draw at roughly 7%. The expectation across prediction markets and aggregators was a comfortable Spanish victory, potentially with multiple goals. The 0-0 result defied virtually every forecast model and sits among the most surprising group-stage outcomes in recent World Cup history.
Standout stats
Vozinha became the oldest goalkeeper ever to keep a clean sheet on his FIFA World Cup debut, aged 40 years and 12 days — the second-oldest outfield or goalkeeper to make their men's World Cup debut at any age. His seven saves were the highlight of a disciplined Cabo Verde defensive structure that collectively logged well over 40 clearances and blocks across 90 minutes, per FIFA match data.
Spain registered their highest first-half shot tally in a World Cup match without scoring since managing 14 against Switzerland in 1966 — they had 12 shots before the break alone, according to tournament records. Despite 27 total shots, not one beat Vozinha. For context, Spain's expected goals (xG) figure was reported as well over 2.0, making this one of the most statistically improbable clean sheets in recent major tournament football.
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