Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha celebrated after the 2026 World Cup Group H match against Saudi Arabia at Houston Stadium in Houston on June 26, 2026. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Credit: AFP
Cape Verde, making their World Cup debut, will face defending champions Argentina in the knockout rounds. This comes after they drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on Friday, continuing their incredible journey.
The draw in Houston, along with Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay, meant that Cape Verde, ranked 67, finished second in Group H behind Spain.
After drawing all three group matches, the nation with a population of just over 500,000 will play against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Miami on July 3. This is another exciting chapter in their remarkable story.
The players from Cape Verde were in tears after the match, and so were some of their fans. They waited nervously for a minute or two before hearing about Spain's win on a mobile phone, then erupted in celebration.
“I’m living in a dream to be honest,” midfielder Deroy Duarte told reporters. The joyful scenes were also seen in Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, where many watched the match into the early hours.
“We had this in our minds and heads that we could get to this stage,” said Cape Verde’s coach Bubista, who is known 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 get to this stage and 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 first round, finished with seven points, while Cape Verde ended with three points. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both went home with two points.
With history on the line, Bubista made changes to half his starting lineup, some due to injuries, but kept his star goalkeeper Vozinha. The 40-year-old goalkeeper played a crucial role in keeping Cape Verde in the game against European champions Spain in their first-ever World Cup match.
Cape Verde, located off the west coast of Africa, also managed a brave 2-2 draw with two-time champions Uruguay. This gave them a surprising chance to reach the last 32 going into the match against Saudi Arabia, who were also still in the competition.
At the same time, Spain and Uruguay were playing in Guadalajara, as this tightly contested group went down to the wire. Cape Verde had a slight edge in the first half against a Saudi team that drew 1-1 with Uruguay before losing 4-0 to Spain.
The Saudis lost experienced defender Hassan al-Tambakti to injury in the 33rd minute when he was stretchered off. Spain took the lead near the end of the first half, and Cape Verde fans in Houston cheered at the news.
Willy Semedo came close to scoring but fired just wide of the Saudi goal. Neither side made any serious threats in a tense first half. At that point, Cape Verde was on track to progress at Uruguay’s expense.
Three minutes into the second half, Jamiro Monteiro had a good chance close to the goal, but his shot was weak. Kevin Pina then had a long-range effort that missed the target.
As the match entered the final quarter, the tension increased, but Saudi Arabia struggled to create chances despite needing a goal. In the 75th minute, goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais made a crucial save to keep Saudi Arabia in the game against Laros Duarte.
A draw was enough for Cape Verde, but they looked more likely to score as the match headed into the dying minutes.
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