A nation with fewer people than the city of Fresno, California, is one result away from reaching the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup. Cape Verde, playing in their first-ever World Cup, needs just a draw against Saudi Arabia on June 27 to virtually guarantee their place in the knockout stage.
The Blue Sharks have collected four points from two group-stage matches in Group H, a pool that also includes Spain and Uruguay. For context, those are two of the most decorated programs in international football history, with a combined five World Cup titles between them. Cape Verde has held both to draws.
How the Blue Sharks got here
Cape Verde’s opening match against Spain on June 18 ended 0-0. That scoreline alone was remarkable. Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions and 2024 European Championship winners, were held scoreless by a team making its tournament debut. That single point was the first in Cape Verde’s World Cup history.
The June 22 clash with Uruguay finished 2-2, a result that gave Cape Verde their first-ever World Cup goals. Two of them, in fact, against a Uruguayan side that has reached the World Cup semifinals as recently as 2010. The draw pushed Cape Verde’s point total to four, placing them in a strong position heading into the final matchday.
