World Cup 2026: Cape Verde, the rookie who stood up to both tournament finalists

19.07.26 AET World Cup

Spain

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Argentina

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The final of the World Cup pits Spain against Argentina on Sunday, July 19. Both squads share the distinction of having struggled against one of the tournament's debutants: Cape Verde.

For their first-ever appearance at a World Cup, Cape Verde pulled off a stunning feat by qualifying for the round of 16 before being knocked out by the reigning champions, Argentina.

The Blue Sharks held Spain to a stalemate (0-0) in their tournament opener. As it turned out, La Roja would go on to become a finalist.

Vozinha and his teammates, with the goalkeeper putting in a commanding display, also rattled the other finalist, Argentina, forcing extra time before narrowly falling at the death (3-2 after extra time).

These two results are testament to just how exceptional Cape Verde’s campaign was. In fact, no other team managed to stand firm against both finalists. Austria, who also faced both sides, lost to Argentina in the group stage (0-2) and to Spain in the round of 16 (0-3).

All other opponents of Spain (Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, and France) and Argentina (Algeria, Jordan, Austria, Egypt, Switzerland, England) failed to match Cape Verde’s achievement.

Cape Verde’s journey at the 2026 World Cup

For their debut at the World Cup, the Blue Sharks certainly didn’t disappoint. Even better, their brand of football won over many fans around the globe.

In their opening match, the Africans held a star-studded Spanish side—featuring the likes of Lamine Yamal and Pedri—to a goalless draw (0-0)...

Next up, they played Uruguay to a thrilling 2-2 draw on matchday two in Group H, then wrapped up the group stage with another scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia (0-0).

In the round of 16, they put on a valiant display against the defending world champions, Argentina, before bowing out after extra time in a 3-2 thriller.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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