FIFA World Cup 2026: ‘Nothing is impossible for us’ Cape Verde coach

Cape Verde players are ecstatic after reaching the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup following a draw vs Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday. Pic/AFP

FIFA World Cup debutants Cape Verde will face reigning champions Argentina in the knockout rounds after drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on Friday to extend their fairytale journey. The stalemate in Houston and Spain's 1-0 win over Uruguay meant the team ranked 67th in the world finished runners-up behind Spain in Group ‘H.'

Having drawn all three group matches, the archipelago nation of 525,000 inhabitants will play Lionel Messi's Argentina in Miami on July 3 in another chapter to their remarkable story. The players of Cape Verde - the smallest team in World Cup history to qualify for the knockouts - were in tears afterwards, as were some of their fans.

The squad waited an agonising minute or two before news of the Spain win filtered through on a mobile phone, then erupted in celebration. "We had this in our minds and heads that we could get to this stage. We felt the team was very eager to show this to the whole world. We are proud to get to this stage and again have showed the world that we are a small country but we fight for what we want. To us, nothing is impossible," said Cape Verde coach Bubista.

Bubista

Speaking about the upcoming clash against the world champions, Bubista said: "From the very beginning we've said that one of the purposes we had was to show our country to the rest of the world. To play Argentina and Messi in a phase like this is excellent for our country."

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard's brace along with goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemakers saw Belgium overcome a slow start to advance to the knockout round with a 5-1 victory over New Zealand.

In Seattle, Egypt advanced past the group stage for the first time after a 1-1 draw with Iran, who had a potential late winning goal called back due to an offside.

In an earlier match, Senegal registered a 5-0 win over 10-man Iraq that boosted their chances of reaching the knockouts on goal difference.

Did you know?

Cape Verde's population of 525,000 inhabitants is lesser than any of the 50 US states

20
No of years since an African nation making its World Cup debut reached the knockouts; last team to do so was Ghana

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No of years since a country making its World Cup debut was unbeaten in the group stage; last team to do so was Senegal

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