World Cup: Grimaldo and Yamal start on bench for Spain against debutants Cape Verde

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By Eskender Tamrat@eskeFussball

World Cup: Grimaldo and Yamal start on bench for Spain against debutants Cape Verde

The opening game of Group H in the World Cup will be played between Spain and Cape Verde.

Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images

European champions Spain face Cape Verde in the opening game of Group H in the 2026 World Cup. Spain knocked out Germany from the group stage four years ago before losing on penalties to surprise packages Morocco. Meanwhile, Cape Verde are one of the four debutants as they topped their qualification group in the African confederation.

Bayer Leverkusen's Álejandro Grimaldo is the only Bundesliga player from the two squads, and he will settle for the bench as Real Madrid-bound Marc Cucurela starts for Spain as the left-back. The set-piece specialist could also head to LaLiga as Atlético Madrid linked with the player for a summer move.

Lamine Yamal is expected to be one of the stars of the tournament, but the 18-year-old wonderkid will also make his World Cup debut off the bench due to fitness issues. Former Bundesliga players Mikel Merino (Borussia Dortmund) and Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig) are also in Luis de la Fuente's star-studded bench.

Curaçao suffered a 7-1 defeat to Germany in their first-ever World Cup game on Sunday, while Uzbekistan and Jordan will await their debuts in the coming days. Saudi Arabia and Uruguay will lock horns later tonight in the other game from Group H.