Did anyone really believe Cape Verde could hold Spain to a goalless draw in their first game at a World Cup?That was one of the results of the tournament so far and it seemed inconceivable the African nation would follow that performance by securing another point against Uruguay. But on Sunday, they did just that.The notion of them still having something to play for in their third group game was not something that seemed likely a week ago, and yet now it is legitimate to ask the question: can Cape Verde qualify for the knockout stage?As their supporters, dressed in blue, danced their way out of Hard Rock Stadium and into the Miami night on Sunday evening to celebrate the previously unthinkable, Bubista, the national team’s head coach, and his players stuck around to explain why it was possible all along.“The most important thing is we believed,” Helio Varela, the second-half substitute who scored the equaliser, said afterwards. “At the beginning, nobody believed in us, but we always had belief.“We heard what the coach said to us at the beginning (of the tournament) and we believed the whole time in our team.”Varela’s belief, echoed by Bubista after the final whistle, is not misplaced; it is instead rooted in a self-confidence that ripples throughout the dressing room and onto the pitch.Whether it is Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper, performing miracles against Spain and becoming a viral sensation by amassing more than 15 million followers on Instagram, or Kevin Pina scoring an unlikely free kick in the draw with Uruguay, they never back down from a challenge.That is why they are the first debutant country to go unbeaten in their first two World Cup fixtures since Senegal in 2002, and it is why they now have a 67 per cent chance, according to The Athletic’s forecast model, of qualifying for the round of 32.For Bubista, Cape Verde’s performances in the opening two matches have shown they are here to do more than just make up the numbers and that qualification would be nothing but deserved. They face Saudi Arabia on Friday, knowing victory would send them into the last 32, while a draw might also be enough.“Thanks to what we have already done with two teams of top world level, we have to obviously think about wanting to qualify,” the head coach said in his post-match press conference.The Michael Jordan of soccer | World Cup Daily BriefingMegan Feringa and Amitai Winehouse“I think it is legitimate because of everything we have done, the way the points are in the group, we have all that legitimacy. We also know that any one of those teams also has possibilities of advancing to the next stage.”Even if that legitimacy did not necessarily exist from the outside looking in before their draw against Spain, it was never in doubt inside the team.“We came in thinking we wanted to get out of the group and we didn’t want the moment to pass us by,” Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes, the Irish-born defender, said. “We wanted to be involved and we wanted to be competitive.“We were in the first two games and, going into the last game, it is in our hands, so that is all you can ask for. We have given ourselves a great opportunity and we have to make the most of it now.”“We knew it was going to be tough, but nothing is impossible in football,” said winger Willy Semedo. “We have shown the world that we are a small country, but we have a big character and hopefully we will be able to qualify for the next round.”And the goal was always to qualify?“We didn’t come here on our holidays,” he added. “We knew it was going to be difficult because we are playing against the best teams in the world, but we are also a good team, and I think we have shown that.”Cape Verde’s resolve and sheer desire to defend their goal is evident for anyone who has tuned in to witness them becoming this World Cup’s Cinderella team.Their defensive discipline is a key bedrock of how they have managed to put themselves in this position heading into the match against Saudi Arabia, despite being 63rd in the FIFA rankings.They have conceded only five fouls in the World Cup so far, which is the fewest across the opening two fixtures of any team in a single tournament since records began in 1966.“When we drew against Spain, maybe people could say it was luck,” Ianique dos Santos Tavares, more commonly known as Stopira, said. “Maybe today they will say these guys have quality and talent and the ambition to win.“It is our dream (to qualify) and we are going to work for that. We have a big chance now and we will try to catch it with everything we can.”Jun 22, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms