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One of the most shocking results in the first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage matches came on Monday in Atlanta as defending European champions Spain were held to a 0-0 draw by debutants Cape Verde.
Spain entered the tournament as one of the favorites to win the title, but were stymied by Cape Verde's exceptional defensive game plan.
La Roja striker Mikel Oyarzabal was expected to contend for the Golden Boot, but he and the rest of the Spain attack was held off the scoresheet in the end. Young superstar Lamine Yamal, who is recovering from a hamstring injury at the end of the club season, entered the game for the final 20 minutes but was unable to lift his country over the hump.
Here's all you need to know about Cape Verde, who are making their World Cup debut this summer.
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Cape Verde FIFA ranking
Cape Verde were ranked 64th in the world by FIFA entering the 2026 World Cup.
They were the second-lowest ranked African nation in the field, ahead of only Ghana who are ranked 73rd.
Their opponents, Spain, are ranked third in the world entering the World Cup tournament. They were first until earlier this year when they were passed by Argentina and France.
What is Cape Verde's population?
Cape Verde's estimated population is just over half-a-million people, officially tabbed at 491,233 as of their latest census in 2021.
The Blue Sharks are the second-smallest nation by population to ever qualify for the World Cup, and the smallest ever by land area.
Compare that with Spain, who clock in at just under 50 million, officially estimated to be home to 49.6 million people.
MORE: Smallest countries in the 2026 World Cup
How did Cape Verde qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Cape Verde qualified directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by finishing top of their group in the CAF qualification tournament.
The Blue Sharks finished above second-placed Cameroon, a giant of Africa ranked 44th in the world. Cape Verde won seven of their 10 qualifying games, drawing two and losing just once.
In CAF qualification, only the top team in each group advances to the World Cup directly, while some of the second-place finishers advance to a playoff round.
CAF 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying — Group D standings
| Pos. | Country | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Cape Verde | 10 | 23 | 7-2-1 | +8 |
| 2. | Cameroon | 10 | 19 | 5-4-1 | +12 |
| 3. | Libya | 10 | 16 | 4-4-2 | +2 |
| 4. | Angola | 10 | 12 | 2-6-2 | +1 |
| 5. | Mauritius | 10 | 6 | 1-3-6 | -10 |
| 6. | Eswatini | 10 | 3 | 0-3-7 | -13 |
MORE: Everything to know about Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha who starred vs. Spain
How many saves did Cape Verde goalkeeper make vs. Spain?
The star of the show for Cape Verde in their 0-0 draw with Spain was 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha.
As expected, Spain dominated possession throughout the match and pummeled the Cape Verde net, unleashing 27 total shots putting seven on target.
Vozinha saved all seven efforts on his goal, some of them in spectacular fashion. In total, Spain's shots were worth 2.29 xG (expected goals), with 1.46 post-shot xGOT. This means Vozinha saved one-and-a-half goals worth of shots on target, an exceptional individual performance.
The Cape Verde defensive structure also deserves enormous credit, as they blocked six more shots and won 60% of their ground duels, including 17 total tackles.
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