A country with roughly 600,000 people just went toe-to-toe with a two-time World Cup champion and refused to blink. Cape Verde rallied from a two-goal deficit to draw Uruguay 2-2 on June 21 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, producing one of the most memorable results of the 2026 tournament so far.
The Group H clash was supposed to be a formality for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. It was anything but.
A first-half swing, then a second-half answer
Cape Verde actually struck first. Kevin Pina stepped up to a long-range free-kick in the 21st minute and buried it, scoring the nation’s first-ever World Cup goal.
Uruguay responded with the kind of ruthless finishing you’d expect from a squad with their pedigree. Maxi Araújo equalized in the 44th minute, and Agustín Canobbio doubled the lead deep into first-half stoppage time at 45+6 minutes.
