Uruguay draw opens Group H door after Spain stumble

Uruguay 1–1 Saudi Arabia throws Group H wide open

Your path out of the group just got a lot more forgiving. Uruguay 1–1 Saudi Arabia in the other Group H match on Monday, with Maxi Araújo scoring the equaliser after Mohamed Kanno had put the Saudis ahead (1) (3) (10). Two draws in two games, Group H is level across the board. Marca put it bluntly: "Bueno para España", good for Spain (4).

Spain 0–0 Cape Verde, and it stings

No way around it. Spain 0–0 against World Cup debutants Cape Verde at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the European champions did not look like favourites (2) (5) (6). Vozinha, Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, made seven saves and shut the door completely (9). Mikel Merino set an unwanted record, most shots without scoring by a Spain player in a single World Cup match since 2010 (8). Lamine Yamal watched from the bench the entire night (11) (12).

De la Fuente: "Nothing worrying"

Luis de la Fuente kept his nerve afterwards. "Rien de préoccupant," he told French media, nothing worrying (2) (4). Whether fans agree is another matter. Your team now faces Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Atlanta, and the pressure to win is real (3).

Vozinha's mother denied a visa

The goalkeeper who blanked Spain had something heavier on his mind. Vozinha's mother was denied a US visa and could not travel to watch her son play in the World Cup (13). He still delivered the performance of his life.

Fan reactions

A thread on r/worldcup going viral right now: "World Cup '26 is Absolute Chaos!", Spain getting shut out by Cape Verde is being lumped in with Brazil and Belgium both scraping 1–1 draws against underdogs. The mood among Spain supporters is split between frustration at the performance and grudging respect for Vozinha. Others are digging up a grim stat, three World Cup wins across four tournaments since 2010, none of them against serious opposition. See the thread here.