Spain’s strength is not just in the XI it has put out, but in the quality still waiting on the bench. David Raya, Pedro Porro, Martin Zubimendi, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal are not reserve-level names. In many teams at this World Cup, they would be automatic starters. For Spain, they are options to change the game once legs begin to tire and spaces begin to open. That depth could matter more than ever in this expanded World Cup, where travel, heat, quick turnarounds and squad rotation will test every contender. The best team on paper may not always go the farthest. The team with the deepest bench might.

For teams such as Curacao and Cape Verde, a World Cup debut is not just another fixture on the calendar. It is a national moment, the kind that travels far beyond the pitch and into homes, streets and communities that waited years to see their flag on this stage. Curacao had its first taste of that feeling yesterday, even if the result against Germany showed the scale of the step up. Today, Cape Verde gets its turn in Atlanta, and the opponent could hardly be bigger: Spain, the European champion. For Cape Verde’s players and fans, this is the start of a story that once felt distant. The first anthem, the first kick, the first attack and even the first difficult spell will all carry meaning. At the World Cup, debutants do not arrive only to make up the numbers. They arrive carrying a country’s dream.

Goalkeeper: Vozinha

Defenders: Diney Borges, Pico Lopes, Sidny Lopes Cabral, Steven Moreira

Midfielders: Kevin Pina, Jovane Cabral, Jamiro Monteiro, Laros Duarte

Forwards: Dailon Livramento, Ryan Mendes

Goalkeeper: Unai Simon

Defenders: Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella

Midfielders: Fabian Ruiz, Gavi, Rodri, Pedri

Forwards: Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal