Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup journey continues after the debutants secured a place in the Round of 32 with a tense goalless draw against Saudi Arabia in their final Group H match on Saturday morning.
The island nation knew a victory would remove any uncertainty, but in the end, the point they earned, combined with Uruguay’s defeat to Spain, proved enough to send them through in second place.
Cape Verde looked the more dangerous side on the matchday and nearly found an early breakthrough through Willy Semedo in the 22nd minute. The winger carved out space on the edge of the box and fired a fierce low strike toward goal, only for Mohammed Al Owais to react sharply and push it away.
Saudi Arabia had their best spell just before halftime when Mohamed Kanno rose inside the area and directed a header toward the top of the net, but Vozinha stayed alert and made an excellent save to preserve the deadlock.
Cape Verde came out with greater urgency after the break. Jamiro Monteiro tested Al Owais with a low effort after being slipped through by a clever pass, while Kevin Lenini came inches away from scoring with a powerful long-range strike that flashed narrowly wide of the post.
As the pressure grew, Saudi Arabia struggled to create clear openings, though Abdullah Al Hamdan had one final chance deep into stoppage time. His shot, however, lacked conviction and was comfortably gathered by Vozinha.
At full-time, Cape Verde still had to wait for confirmation from the other group fixture. Eventually, Spain’s victory over Uruguay sealed qualification for the African side, capping a historic achievement in their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
🇨🇻 Cabo Verde have qualified for the Round of 32!#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 27, 2026
Spain finished top of Group H with seven points, while Cape Verde advanced behind them after producing one of the competition’s most memorable underdog stories so far.