Cape Verde pulled off a sensational draw against Uruguay in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers
The Cape Verde national team pulled off a sensational draw against Uruguay in their second Group H match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA, ended 2–2.
Cape Verde opened the scoring. Kevin Lenini found the net in the 21st minute.
Towards the end of the first half, Uruguay managed to turn the game around. In the 44th minute, Maximiliano Araújo levelled the score, and in first-half stoppage time, in the 45+6th minute, Agustín Cannobio put Uruguay ahead.
In the second half, the Cape Verdean side managed to get back into the game. In the 61st minute, Elio Varela scored the goal that secured a draw for the African side.
In the 68th minute, Uruguay had a chance to snatch victory, but Maximiliano Araújo’s goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
In the opening round, Cape Verde drew 0–0 with Spain, whilst Uruguay shared the points with Saudi Arabia, finishing the match 1–1.
In the other Group H match of the second round, Spain thrashed Saudi Arabia 4–0.
After two rounds, Spain lead Group H with 4 points. Uruguay and Cape Verde have 2 points each. Saudi Arabia are bottom of the group with one point.
In the third round, Cape Verde will face Saudi Arabia, whilst Uruguay will take on Spain. Both matches will take place on 27 June at 03:00 Kyiv time.
The 2026 World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July in the USA, Mexico and Canada. This is the first World Cup to feature 48 national teams. The top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stages.
