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

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 volcanic archipelago of just 525,000 people, who are ranked as 2000-1 outsiders to win the World Cup by several betting websites.

Not even the introduction off the bench of Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal could engineer a goal for Luis de la Fuente's men.

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

"The dream came true," Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha told reporters. "We competed against Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and people of Cape Verde."

The underdogs, nicknamed the Blue Sharks, had never qualified for the World Cup, but were boosted in their bid to qualify for the finals after FIFA's expansion of the tournament to 48 teams.

Spain coach De la Fuente insisted there was no reason to hit the panic button, and still confidently backed his squad to reach the final.

"We are completely calm, convinced that there is a long way to go. As we see it, we have seven games left," he said.

An upset had also looked on the cards in another early game on Monday, with Egypt taking the lead through Emam Ashour in the first half against Belgium in a Group G game in Seattle.

But veteran Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku came off the bench in the second half to make an instant impact, harassing Egypt defender Mohamed Hany into an own goal to secure a share of the points.

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku forces an own goal by Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G match between Belgium and Egypt at Seattle Stadium in Seattle, the United States on June 15, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images/Emilee Chinn )

Iran protests planned

In Los Angeles, all eyes will turn to Iran's opening game of the tournament, where they take on New Zealand in Group G at the SoFi Stadium.

The match follows a chaotic period of preparations for Iran following the United States-Israeli led military strikes on their country earlier this year.

Iran were initially to be based in Tucson, Arizona for the tournament, but switched their training base to Tijuana in Mexico at the 11^th hour as a result of ongoing tensions with World Cup co-hosts the US over visa issues.

US authorities have refused to grant visas for several members of the Iranian delegation.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Sunday, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said he hoped his team's performances at the World Cup could unite all Iranians at home and overseas.

"We are here to perform a good match, a high-quality match. We don't pay attention to any of the hype and anything that goes on around us," Ghalenoei said in response to a question from AFP.

"Naturally, all teams have their own problems, and in many countries, many things happen that have nothing to do with football."

Iran and New Zealand flags are displayed on the empty field ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, the United States on June 15, 2026. (AFP/Etienne Laurent)

The coach said his team are at the World Cup to "represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside Iran or the Iranian diaspora."

"We are not political people [...] football is separate from politics," said Ghalenoei.

Iran's World Cup debut comes just a day after Washington and Tehran announced a permanent deal to end their conflict.