Several European teams have struggled with their opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Spain narrowly avoided disaster against Cape Verde on Monday in front of a crowd of 67,640 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Spain was held scoreless by Cape Verde, playing in its first World Cup game, and the Group H match finished in a 0-0 tie, with each team earning a point. Goalkeeper Vozinha was the hero for Cape Verde, recording seven saves in the tie.

The group has a four-way tie after the first round of games, as Saudi Arabia and Uruguay finished with a 1-1 tie on Monday.

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When speaking to reporters after the match, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente had a defiant message despite a bad performance by his team. He called Cape Verde "inferior" but credited his opponent for playing well.

"In this World Cup there's extreme equality and difficulty," De La Fuente said, via ESPN. "This team was clearly inferior to us, but they did the things they had to do well.

"We have to keep growing. With the talent these players have, that's the way. We're calm. This is a long tournament, and in our heads we've still got seven games left."

Spain will next play Saudi Arabia on Sunday. De La Fuente believes his team will be better prepared to play in that match.

"This (Spain) team is reliable, whatever happens," he said. "We're a team with an extraordinary reliability. We haven't lost in 32 matches. We'll be better in the next game, for sure."

Spain wasn't the only European team stunned on Monday. Belgium had to come back in the second half to tie Egypt before finishing with a 1-1 score. But the outcome between Spain and Cape Verde was shocking, as La Roja entered the World Cup ranked No. 3 in the world FIFA rankings.

For more on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, head to Newsweek Sports.