- Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia: Unbeaten Cape Verde finish runners-up in Group H, becoming the first team since Chile in 1998 to qualify with three draws.
- The Blue Sharks make history on their FIFA World Cup debut in North America by reaching the knockout stage.
- Cape Verde will face defending champions Argentina in the Round of 32 on Friday, July 3.
Cape Verde made history on Saturday morning as they finished runners-up in Group Stage to punch their ticket to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in their first-ever appearance after holding Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw.
The Blue Sharks finished second on three points in their debut tournament, one point above two-time winners Uruguay and 2034 hosts Saudi Arabia.
Having drawn all three group matches, the archipelago nation of just over 500,000 will play Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Miami on July 3, adding another chapter to their remarkable story.
ALSO READ: Cape Verde seal historic World Cup qualification
The players of Cape Verde – the third-smallest team in World Cup history by population- were in tears afterwards, as were some of their fans.
The squad waited an agonising minute or two before news of Spain’s victory filtered through on a mobile phone, then erupted in celebration.
“I’m living in a dream, to be honest,” midfielder Deroy Duarte told broadcasters.
The jubilant scenes were mirrored in Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, where people had watched the big match into the early hours of the morning.
“We had this in our minds and believed we could reach this stage,” said Cape Verde coach Bubista, who goes by one name and arrived at the press conference wrapped in his country’s flag.
“We felt the team was very eager to show this to the whole world.
“We are proud to have reached this stage and once again have shown the world that we are a small country, but we fight for what we want.
“To us, nothing is impossible.”
Spain, held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in the opening round of matches, finished with seven points, while the debutants ended on three, with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both heading home on two.
Spain will face the runners-up from Group J, which will be either Algeria or Austria.
With history beckoning, Bubista made five changes to his starting lineup, some of them enforced, but retained his veteran goalkeeper Vozinha.
The 40-year-old shot-stopper single-handedly kept Cape Verde in the contest as they earned a famous point against European champions Spain in their first-ever World Cup match.
Cape Verde, located off the west coast of Africa, then claimed a spirited 2-2 draw against two-time world champions Uruguay.
That gave them a scarcely believable chance of reaching the last 32 heading into the encounter against Saudi Arabia, who were also still in contention.
At the same time, in Guadalajara, Spain and Uruguay met as an unexpectedly tight group went down to the wire.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026