Yet another day of World Cup action, and the tournament just keeps delivering shocks. If you thought Amad Diallo’s last-minute winner for the Ivory Coast against Ecuador yesterday was the top definition of drama in the tournament so far, then you might want to take a look at the thrilling match between Spain and Cabo Verde. 

It seems like footballing gods have thrown away the old tactical scrolls. These guys are now writing a new thriller in real time. 

Spain is historically known to start slowly in major tournaments, but nobody in the football world expected a goalless draw against Cabo Verde, a team playing its first-ever game in the competition. 

Yes, up in the charts, and top in the conversations, Spain is without a doubt still one of the tournament’s favorites. But a scoreless stalemate against Cabo Verde is a wake-up call to De La Fuente and his boys. 

Cabo Verde First Ever World Cup Qualification 

It’s just their first game, and we are on the lookout to see how they perform in their two remaining group stage games and the rest of the tournament. 

But it’s coming as a shocker to many people that this was actually Cabo Verde’s first game ever in the World Cup. 

2026 is the very first time the team qualified to play in the tournament after a resounding victory against Eswatini in October of last year. They also finished at the top of their CAF qualifying group D, earning them a spot in the tournament. 

As if that was not enough, Cabo Verde is one of the smallest countries to qualify for the World Cup. With a population of barely 600,000 people, they are the third least populated country ever to qualify for a men’s World Cup. 

Obviously for a team of this profile to hold down Spain, who are the reigning European Champions and a football powerhouse, it had to raise eyebrows. The weight of Cabo Verde’s achievement also lies massively on their goalkeeper, Vozinha. 

7 Saves And A MOTM Award For Vozinha

Meet 40-year-old Josimar Dias, professionally known as Vozinha. He made seven saves to secure his team one of the most memorable results of the tournament’s opening week. 

Before the match began, Vozinha had a mere 50,000 followers on his Instagram profile.

As of the publication of this article, barely 4 hours after the last whistle of the match, he has over 3 million followers on his profile. 

His profile has gained and continues to gain a massive follower bump after his World Cup heroics. 

Vozinha, who plays for Portuguese club Chaves, who are playing in Liga Portugal 2, also walked away as the Man Of The Match. 

The goalkeeper also revealed in an emotional outburst that his mum missed the thrilling game because of visa troubles. Cape Verde still has two games against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the group stages, and we have our eyes on what’s next for them. 

Spain’s Future In The Tournament 

Spain is still a top contender to advance from Group H. However, the draw narrows their chances of emerging on top from the group to secure an ideal knockout path. 

The match between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia later today will determine Spain’s position after the opening game. Still, Spain is a team to watch in the 2026 World Cup. 

Football is unpredictable, yes, but Spain is definitely not out of the running yet. They’ve historically struggled in their opening matches in the World Cup, and this isn’t a major surprise. 

A Merged Insight Exclusive.