Cape Verde draw with Uruguay to boost World Cup last-32 hopes

Cape Verde turned a World Cup first into a statement of intent in Miami, drawing 2-2 with two-time champions Uruguay and keeping its route to the last 32 alive. Kevin Pina struck the country’s first ever World Cup goal from a free-kick in the 21st minute, and Helio Varela levelled again in the 61st after Uruguay had moved ahead through Maximiliano Araujo and Agustín Canobbio.

For a side making its tournament debut, the pattern has mattered as much as the scoreline. Cape Verde opened with a 0-0 draw against Spain on 15 June, then followed it by taking a point from another heavyweight, showing that the team’s rise is built on more than surprise alone. Bubista, whose full name is Pedro Leitão Brito, has described the country’s progress as a transformation from a team that once did not even have proper kit to one preparing to compete on the world stage. That change has now carried the national team from qualification into genuine contention in the group stage.

The numbers behind the climb are stark. Cape Verde sealed first-time qualification on 13 October 2025 with a 3-0 win over Eswatini, finishing top of CAF qualifying Group D ahead of Cameroon. FIFA has also noted that Cape Verde, a country of just over 500,000 people, became the second-least populous nation ever to reach a World Cup, after Iceland in 2018. On the pitch, the evidence suggests a disciplined structure rather than a short-lived run of fortune: a clean sheet against Spain, a set-piece goal through Pina against Uruguay and Varela’s finish in open play all pointed to a team that has been organised and hard to break down.

There was also a rare historical marker in the Uruguay match. Fernando Muslera and Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha became the first two goalkeepers in their 40s to start a World Cup match, a detail that underlined the experience on display in a game that swung twice before ending level. Cape Verde’s final group match is against Saudi Arabia on 27 June, and a win would put Bubista’s side on course for the knockout rounds. After two results against established powers, the question is no longer whether Cape Verde belongs here. It is how far a team built on structure, belief and resilience can go.