PREVIEW: Spain begin World Cup campaign against debutants Cape Verde | OneFootball

Spain kick off their World Cup campaign against Debutants Cape Verde at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta tomorrow evening. La Roja last lifted the World Cup trophy in 2010 and will head into the tournament as one of the favourites to win the title this summer.

The Spanish side will be aiming to improve on recent World Cup performances after exiting at the Group stage in 2014 before reaching the last 16 in both 2018 and 2022. However, Spain have already enjoyed success on the international stage in recent years, having defeated England to win UEFA Euro 2024.

They should be expected to finish top in Group H as they also play Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, who have weaknesses of their own. Spain come into this match following a 3-1 win in their final pre-tournament friendly against Peru and are unbeaten in their last ten matches. Given the dominant form that Luis De La Fuente’s men are in, it will be a shock if they don’t beat the Blue Sharks.

As for their opponents, Cape Verde will experience a historic moment when they take to the field against Spain for their World Cup debut, which will also mark the first-ever meeting between the two sides. They qualified for their first World Cup by finishing top of their World Cup qualifying group ahead of Cameroon, sealing qualification with a 3-0 victory over Eswatini.

The Blue Sharks are unbeaten in their last three matches, including recent friendly victories over Serbia and Bermuda ahead of the World Cup. They enter the match against Spain on the back of a 3-0 win over Serbia on June 6 in their final pre-World Cup friendly. Qualifying for their first World Cup is a massive achievement in itself, and they know they are in a tough group with a dominant Spanish side, so finishing either 2nd or 3rd will be a great finish for them.

The match will be live on ITV/ITV X and will kick off at 5pm BST and 12pm EST.