Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia: A winning draw levitates Cape Verde to QUALIFY for the Round of 32

Game is over and the final score is Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia. Here is the match report.

Match Report:

Cape Verde made history as they finished as runners-up in Group H and advanced to the last 32 of the World Cup after a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia at Houston Stadium. 

The African nation finished their group campaign on three points, which was enough to secure a top-two finish after Uruguay were beaten by European champions Spain. 

Cape Verde's reward for their stunning achievement is a clash against reigning champions Argentina on July 3 at Miami Stadium. 

Following a low-key opening, the game burst into life when Salem Al Dawsari saw his close-range strike blocked by Wagner Pina. The Saudi Arabia captain's effort, timed at 17 minutes and 12 seconds, was the longest into a match before a shot was attempted at this year's World Cup. 

But Cape Verde responded positively shortly afterwards as Willy Semedo forced Mohammed Al Owais into a smart save at the near post, and despite the World Cup debutants showing more adventure, they struggled to fashion a clear goal-scoring opportunity. 

The lively Semedo then crashed his attempt wide of the left-hand post before Mohamed Kanno came close to giving Saudi Arabia the lead in first-half stoppage time, but his looping header landed in the grateful hands of Vozinha. 

Cape Verde raced out of the blocks upon the restart as Jamiro Monteiro struck straight at Al Owais, before Kevin Pina saw a 30-yard drive sail inches wide of the upright. 

Mohammed Abu Al Shamat almost made an instant impact, but his shot from a tight angle was clawed away by Vozinha. At the other end, Al Owais made a brilliant stop to thwart Laros Duarte when faced one-on-one with the Cape Verde substitute. 

Saudi Arabia's desperate attempts for a winner left plenty of space for their opponents to exploit, but Georgios Donis' side almost snatched all three points at the death. However, Abdullah Al Hamddan's tame strike was smothered by Vozinha, sparking wild celebrations among the Cape Verde supporters as they held on for a seismic win. 

Cabo Verde's #FIFAWorldCup debut run continues into the knockouts!

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 27, 2026

Draw specialists Cape Verde see dream World Cup debut roll on

After drawing with Spain and Uruguay in their previous two World Cup games, the pressure was on Cape Verde to deliver a result here, and that is exactly what they did with another strong defensive showing to pick up yet another valuable point. 

Their result sees them become the first debutant to advance from the group stage in the World Cup since Slovakia in 2010. They are also the first African team to do so since Ghana in 2006. 

Cape Verde are also the first side making their debut at the World Cup to go unbeaten in their three group-stage matches at the tournament since Senegal in 2002 (W1 D2 L0), while Saudi Arabia have now failed to advance from their group in their last six appearances in the competition.

And after his stunning showing in Cape Verde's historic draw with Spain, Vozinha is just the third goalkeeper to keep multiple World Cup clean sheets after turning 40, joining Peter Shilton (three) and Dino Zoff (two), but at the other end, Duarte made an impact off the bench. 

He recorded three chances created for Cape Verde despite being introduced in the 71st minute. The only players to record more chances created as a substitute at this year's World Cup are Can Uzun for Turkiye vs. Paraguay (four) and Nicolas de la Cruz for Uruguay, also vs. Saudi Arabia (four).

But Cape Verde will feel they should have had the game wrapped up much earlier than they did. They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.52 from their 15 attempts to Saudi Arabia's tally of 0.4 from their seven shots. 

Line-ups

Cape Verde XI: Ryan Mendes, Roberto Lopes, Vozinha, Diney Borges, Jamiro Monteiro, Deroy Duarte, Willy Semedo, Kevin Pina, João Paulo, Dailon Livramento, Wagner Pina

Subs: Stopira, Steven Moreira, Garry Rodrigues, Da Costa, Laros Duarte, Márcio Rosa, Yannick Semedo, Jovane Cabral, CJ dos Santos, Logan Costa, Kelvin Pires, Hélio Varela, Gilson Benchimol

Saudi Arabia XI: Salem Al Dawsari, Mohammed Al Owais, Mohammed Kanoo, Sultan Mandash, Abdullah Alkhaibari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Hassan Tambakti, Saud Abdulhamid, Nawaf Boushal

Subs: Ahmed Al-Kassar, Saleh Al-Shehri, Ali Lajami, Alaa Hejji, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Ali Majrashi, Khalid Al-Ghannam, Ayman Yahya, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Moteb Al-Harbi, Ziyad Al-Johani, Hasan Kadesh, Musab Al-Juwayr, Jehad Thakri, Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat