Cape Verde stun World Cup favourites Spain as Vozinha steals the show

In brief

Spain have been held to a goalless draw by minnows Cape Verde.

Belgium and Egypt finished their opener 1-1 in Seattle.

European champions Spain were held to a shock 0-0 draw by World Cup debutants Cape Verde as the ghosts of recent World Cup horror shows reappeared in Atlanta on Tuesday AEST with debutants Cape Verde holding to a 0-0 draw.

Spain, regarded as one of the strong pre-tournament favourites, had been expected to cruise past Cape Verde in their Group H opener.

But despite enjoying 74 percent possession and laying siege to the Cape Verde goal, the 2010 world champions were unable to find a breakthrough against the underdogs from the African volcanic archipelago of just 525,000 people.

Cape Verde's players and supporters celebrated wildly after securing an improbable point in what was their first-ever World Cup match.

The underdogs, nicknamed the Blue Sharks, had never qualified for the World Cup but were boosted in their bid to reach the finals after FIFA expanded the tournament to 48 teams.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

Meanwhile, Iran are prepared to make their long-awaited entrance at the tournament at 11am AEST against against New Zealand after a build-up engulfed by uncertainty over the Middle East conflict.

In other games on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia face Uruguay in Group H in Miami at 8am AEST, while Belgium drew 1-1 with Mohamed Salah's Egypt in Group G in Seattle.

Tiny Cape Verde hold Spain to a 0-0 draw

In stark contrast to the searing temperatures faced by some other sides, Atlanta's state-of-the-art air-conditioned stadium meant there were no excuses for the slow tempo of Spain's build-up.

It took until six minutes before half-time for Spain to seriously threaten.

Marc Cucurella, fresh for sealing his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, sent over a teasing cross that Ferran Torres turned onto the crossbar and Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha got back on his feet to turn Mikel Oyarzabal's looping header over the bar.

Torres tested Vozinha again moments later before Aymeric Laporte's header from a corner was also clawed away by the Cape Verde number one just before half-time.

All the FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on our World Cup page

How to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 on SBS

Watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at our On Demand hub

How to favourite your FIFA World Cup 2026™ team and never miss a single moment of the action

The break came at a good time for the Blue Sharks and they comfortably held out in the second period until Lamine Yamal's entrance after the second hydration break.

Billed as one of the stars of the tournament, the 18-year-old's appearance instantly lifted the crowd and injected life into the pedestrian Spanish attack.

His first involvement set up a decent opening for fellow substitute Mikel Merino which was too close to Vozinha.

Yamal also began the move that saw Oyarzabal's effort deflected over with Spain's best chance of the second half.

Cape Verde nearly snatched a famous victory in the final minute of the 90 when Dani Borges planted a header too close to Unai Simon.

But even without a winner, 40-year-old Vozinha was reduced to tears at full-time as Cape Verde produced the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

"I've worked all my life for this, for this moment, for this dream," said Vozinha, who plays for Chaves in the Portuguese second division.

"A lot of generations in the past dreamed of this, they didn't achieve it," he added. "The dream came true, for all of us."

Spain's road to victory in 2010 also began disappointingly with a defeat to Switzerland, but they have much to work on ahead of their match against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta once more on Monday.

Cape Verde next take on Uruguay in Miami.

Belgium and Egypt draw 1-1

Egypt's hopes of a first-ever World Cup win were dashed by an own goal from defender Mohamed Hany in a 1-1 draw with Belgium in their Group G opener on Tuesday.

Egypt took the lead in the 19th minute through a powerful strike from outside the box by midfielder Emam Ashour, his first international goal.

Belgium pressed for an equaliser in the second half before the introduction of Romelu Lukaku in the 66th minute. A little more than 20 seconds later, Hany diverted a cross into his own net under pressure from the big striker.

With the draw, seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions Egypt's wait for a first victory at a World Cup goes on.

This is their fourth participation in the global showpiece and with Group G fixtures to come against Iran and New Zealand, they will hope to break that hoodoo in North America.

For Belgium, this tournament is likely the last chance for the remnants of their golden generation to better their third-placed finish in Russia eight years ago and finally win silverware.

— With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters news agencies.

You can watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live, free and exclusive on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.

For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.