Cape Verde have written one of the biggest stories of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament’s knockout stage, following a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia.
The African island nation of just 500,000 people secured second place in Group H with three points after drawing all three of its group-stage matches. Spain topped the group after defeating Uruguay 1-0, while Uruguay were eliminated.
Making their FIFA World Cup debut, Cape Verde stunned football fans with an unbeaten group-stage campaign. They opened with a 0-0 draw against former champions Spain before fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw with Uruguay. Their final 0-0 result against Saudi Arabia proved enough to seal a historic place in the round of 32.
Cape Verde will now face defending champions Argentina in Miami on July 3.
Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha was once again the hero for Cape Verde, producing several crucial saves to preserve another clean sheet.
The 40-year-old denied Mohamed Kanno in first-half stoppage time before making important saves from Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat in the 66th minute and Abdullah Al-Hamdan deep into stoppage time.
As Spain’s victory over Uruguay was confirmed moments after the final whistle, Cape Verde’s players and supporters erupted in emotional celebrations, marking one of the greatest achievements in the country’s sporting history.
Cape Verde become one of only a handful of teams in World Cup history to progress after drawing all three group-stage matches, joining Wales (1958), Ireland (1990), the Netherlands (1990) and Chile (1998).
