The 2018 World Cup announced Kylian Mbappé’s arrival on the global stage, as the then-19-year-old Frenchman helped his country secure the World Cup. Eight years later, Lamine Yamal has already arrived, but if Spain lifts the World Cup this summer with Yamal as its best player, he’ll secure his status as the unequivocal face of the sport at just 19 years old.
La Roja will begin their World Cup journey at 12 p.m. ET with a match against Cabo Verde. Yamal won’t start against the Blue Sharks as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury that he suffered on April 22 while on club duty with Barcelona, but he’s expected to come on as a substitute at some point.
Throughout the World Cup, DraftKings Network will be highlighting some of the stars of the tournament, tracking their performances in all of their matches. Here’s how Yamal and Spain performed against Cabo Verde:
Spain vs. Cabo Verde odds
La Roja are -1100 favorites to beat the West African side at DraftKings Sportsbook, and the Blue Sharks are +2200. There are +1100 odds that the teams will end up drawing.
Lamine Yamal prop bets, odds
- 1st Goalscorer: N/A
- Anytime Goalscorer: N/A
- 2+ Goals: N/A
- Shots: N/A
- Shots on Target: N/A
- Assists: N/A
Tracking Lamine Yamal
Follow along as DKNetwork tracks Yamal’s and Spain’s performance against Cabo Verde! This section will be updated.
FT: WAS IT EVER IN DOUBT?! Oyarzabal can’t find the back of the net from Yamal’s corner, and now Cabo Verde has its first-ever World Cup point in its first-ever game!! Yamal had a decent performance, but a few sloppy passes and some brilliant defending by the Blue Sharks kept this match scoreless. The first 0-0 draw of the tournament, as everyone expected. What a performance by Cabo Verde and manager Bubista, and what a moment for the third-smallest nation ever to qualify!
90’+5: Yamal’s shot was deflected, and he wins a corner!
90’+1: Yamal took his first shot of the game, a rocket from the right side of the box, but it was immediately blocked.
90′: A great look for the Blue Sharks from their first corner of the game! Unai Simón got to Diney Borges’ close-range header to keep it scoreless, but all of a sudden Cabo Verde has life!
88′: What a block by Pico Lopes! A brilliant ball by Yamal found Dani Olmo, who found Oyarzabal in the center of the box, but Lopes got to it with his back before Vozinha even had a chance to react!
86′: Nico Williams is coming on now for La Roja! The dynamic winger pairing that helped left Spain to the 2024 Euros title could have the answer for Spain!
82′: Yamal gets it into Llorente, and his headed pass goes to Cucurella in a dangerous position on the left side of the box! Yet again, it’s a weak effort, though; Vozinha is not troubled at all.
81′: Ferrán is off and Dani Olmo is on! Spain has 10 minutes to avoid what would be one of the most shocking draws in competition history!
77′: Yamal’s pass to Llorente nutmegged a Blue Sharks defender, but Cabo Verde has all 10 men back behind the ball! Spain is running out of time to find an answer, even with all the chances Yamal is creating!
73′: Yamal sized up a defender on the right wing and passed it to Llorente, who made the extra pass inside to Mikel Merino. It might’ve been the wrong decision; Merino’s shot was a weak dribbler right at Vozinha.
72′: Yamal’s first touch of the game, and the crowd goes crazy! He was quickly dispossessed, but his impact on this game has already been felt.
71′: OFFICIAL. LAMINE. YAMAL. IS. IN. THE. GAME. His first World Cup appearance!
68′: THERE. HE. IS. Lamine Yamal will enter the game after the hydration break! 20 minutes and stoppage time for the 18-year-old to help find a desperately-needed winner for his country!
61′: Two-thirds of the game done, and 40-year-old Vozinha has arguably been the best player on the pitch. No Yamal just yet, but he’s pacing around on the sideline.
51′: Spain has been putting constant pressure on Vozinha to start the second half, but Fabián Ruiz’s left-footed shot went at least two feet over the crossbar on the left side of the net!
46′: We’re back underway for the second half! No Yamal out there, although he did warm up during halftime.
HT: Spain looked better right at the end of the half, but it remains scoreless! Can Yamal or Nico Williams enter after the break and make a difference? Can the Blue Sharks hold on for a stunning draw (+1100) or even find a winner?!
45′: Ferrán got an opportunity from near the penalty spot, but Vozinha got to it with a dive to his left! Four minutes of stoppage time to go.
39′: SPAIN HIT THE CROSSBAR! How did Ferrán hit the crossbar from six feet away?! It deflected right back down, and Vozinha deflected Oyarzabal’s header over the bar. Still 0-0 in Atlanta. What a performance from the Blue Sharks’ defense, and what a miss from Ferrán!
36′: The best attacking chance for Spain yet! It won’t count because the offsides flag went up, but Pedri fired a rocket from near the penalty spot that Vozinha saved.
31′: That was a very sloppy play by Cabo Verde to give it up to La Roja in a dangerous position, but Sidny Lopes Cabral made an excellent recovery to deny even a shot attempt for Mikel Oyarzabal! A very gutsy tackle within the box for the scrappy underdogs.
27′: A shot from the Blue Sharks! After a beautiful switch to Steven Moreira, he fires one from outside the box, and it’s immediately blocked by Marc Cucurella. Still, some very positive signs for Cabo Verde here and some unimpressive play from the tournament favorites.
22′: Cabo Verde with its first extended stretch of possession in attacking territory! It doesn’t result in a shot, as a foul gives La Roja a free kick, but the African side is settling into the game. It’s the hydration break now.
16′: Still scoreless! The Blue Sharks have nothing going in the attack, but they’re defending nicely, and the first shot of the game — a Pedri dribbler from the top of the box — was easily collected by Vozinha. The veteran didn’t have to move an inch.
10′: Ferrán Torres, starting in the right on the Yamal role, just made a bad centering pass that Cabo Verde used to start a fruitless break. Yamal probably would’ve completed that one…
8′: Not too much action here so far. La Roja have dominated possession, but the Blue Sharks’ few forays towards the midfield have elicited cheers from their supporters in the crowd.
1′: We have kickoff here in Atlanta! It’s Cabo Verde (+2200 ML)’s first-ever World Cup match! Spain (-1100 ML) starts with possession. Lamine Yamal is on the bench…will he enter at some point?
Additional World Cup Coverage
For additional World Cup coverage from the DraftKings Network, check out the World Cup landing page here:
- 2026 World Cup Group H Preview: Predictions, Top Scorers, Odds
- Spain World Cup Preview: Predictions, Betting Odds
- Cabo Verde vs. Spain prediction, pick for Monday 6/15/26
- Will Lamine Yamal be Spain’s leading goalscorer at the World Cup?
NOTE: Prop bet rulings are subject to official scoring and could change after the match.
