Spain v Cape Verde Islands prediction, lineups & tips: World Cup 2026

History will be made at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday evening when Cape Verde Islands take to the field in a FIFA World Cup 2026 fixture for the very first time. Their opponents are Spain, the reigning European champions and among the leading contenders for the trophy. It is about as baptism of fire as a World Cup debut gets, and Luis de la Fuente's side will be keen to get Group H off to a flying start.

Spain arrive in Atlanta carrying the confidence of Euro 2024 winners who also claimed men's Olympic gold in Paris. They are ranked second in the world by FIFA and, alongside France, are considered one of the two genuine favourites for the tournament. Their World Cup qualifying record told its own story: five wins and one draw from six games, 21 goals scored, only two conceded.

De la Fuente has, however, had to manage a pre-tournament injury crisis of sorts. Barcelona's Fermín López fractured a metatarsal in May and misses the tournament entirely. Lamine Yamal has not featured for club or country since 22 April due to a hamstring problem. Nico Williams has also been nursing a hamstring injury, as has Mikel Merino, though all three have since returned to training and the Spain coach has confirmed they are within the expected recovery timelines. The question is whether De la Fuente risks any of them from the first whistle against opposition this light.

Cape Verde qualified by topping their African group ahead of five-time continental champions Cameroon, and arrive in good form. Bubista's side beat Serbia 3-0 at the end of May before following that up with a 3-0 win over Bermuda on 6 June to round off their pre-tournament preparations. Striker Dailon Livramento scored four goals in his last five World Cup qualifiers. Forward Ryan Mendes, the former Lille and Nottingham Forest winger, captains the side and brings genuine professional pedigree.

They will be under no illusions about the size of the task. Spain are ranked around 80 places above them in the world rankings, and Group H also contains Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The realistic Cape Verde ambition is to qualify via the third-place route, and that means protecting themselves in this fixture as best they can.

De la Fuente was asked directly about the fitness of his key players ahead of the tournament opener. "All three are within the expected timelines to arrive in good condition for June 15," the Spain head coach told reporters, referring to Yamal, Nico Williams and Merino. He also hinted, however, that the players could face minutes restrictions, suggesting De la Fuente will treat this game as a managed return rather than a full debut.

Spain are almost certain to start in a 4-3-3. With Yamal and Williams expected only to feature from the bench, Torres and Baena are the likely wide starters. Porro gets the nod at right-back, with the Rodri-Pedri-Fabián Ruiz midfield three likely to be the engine. Cape Verde line up in a 4-2-3-1 designed for compactness, with Mendes operating up top and Monteiro and Livramento supporting.

Spain: Simón; Llorente, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz; Torres, Oyarzabal, Baena

Cape Verde Islands: Vozinha; Moreira, Costa, Diney, João Paulo; K. Pina, D. Duarte; J. Cabral, Monteiro, Mendes; Livramento

Spain v Cape Verde Islands kicks off at 17:00 BST on Monday, 15 June. The match is live on ITV1 in the UK, with a free stream available via ITVX. All 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup are free-to-air for UK viewers, shared between ITV and BBC.