The opening match of the 2026 World Cup did not unfold as expected for the Spain national team. Competing against Cape Verde, the Spanish squad faced challenges that were highlighted by a notable statistic involving one of their players.
Spanish midfielder Pedri recorded 21 inaccurate forward passes during the match, according to WhoScored. This figure is currently the lowest performance statistic among all players participating in the 2026 World Cup.
In a broader context, Spain has struggled in recent World Cups, winning only three matches since 2010. Their victories include matches against Australia in 2014, Iran in 2018, and Costa Rica in 2022.
In contrast, Cape Verde’s performance was remarkable for its discipline, committing just one foul throughout the match. This statistic marks the fewest fouls recorded by any team in a FIFA World Cup match since 1966, when comprehensive tournament broadcasts began.
Spain’s forward also rewrote the tournament’s history by matching an unwanted record that had stood since 1966.