De la Fuente weighs Yamal for Spain's Cape Verde opener
Spain begin their cape verde challenge at the 2026 World Cup on Monday in Atlanta, where they face the debutants in Group H at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The match starts at 12pm local time, or 16:00 GMT, and comes with Spain still unbeaten in 30 matches.
De la Fuente has to decide whether to name Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the bench or leave them out until they are fully fit. Both returned to training with their teammates on Thursday after hamstring injuries in April.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Spain enter as the reigning European champions and strong favourites for the tournament. Opta’s supercomputer put their chance of winning the 2026 World Cup at 15.94 percent, ahead of France on 13.62 percent, and gave Spain an 87.2 percent chance of beating Cape Verde.
Cape Verde’s numbers are far smaller. The team has a 4.8 percent chance of victory and an 8.15 percent chance of a draw, but Monday still gives it a first World Cup appearance. The island nation is one of 10 African representatives at the tournament.
Cape Verde’s first World Cup
Cape Verde has fewer than 600,000 inhabitants and is the third smallest country by population to reach the World Cup, after Iceland in 2018 and Curacao in 2026. Its starters are based across several countries, including Portugal, the Netherlands and the United States.
The country’s international breakthrough came in 2013, when it qualified for its first Africa Cup of Nations and reached the quarterfinal stage. Monday’s game places that first World Cup team against the side many expect to set the pace in Group H.
Yamal and Williams
Spain’s injury call is the immediate roster issue before kickoff. Yamal and Williams trained with the squad on Thursday, but De la Fuente can still keep either player out of the matchday squad if he wants more recovery time.
For Spain, the opener is a test of depth as much as form. For Cape Verde, it is a first step on the sport’s biggest stage, against a side that has not lost since a 1-0 friendly defeat to Colombia at Wembley in March 2024.
