Cape Verde's Cinderella World Cup run stays intact with draw against Uruguay

Cape Verde’s imagination tally successful the 2026 FIFA World Cup continued connected Sunday arsenic the squad came to a 2-2 gully against Uruguay.

The state is 1 of the smallest successful the 48-team tournament, making their debut. The squad was fixed 1 of the toughest draws successful the lawsuit with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia successful Group H. But the state got done its 2 toughest opponents with draws.

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Cape Verde's Diney Borges and Uruguay's Brian Rodriguez vie for the shot during the World Cup Group H lucifer successful Miami Gardens, Fla., connected June 21, 2026. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Cape Verde wasn’t capable to people successful their World Cup debut against Spain, but recovered the backmost of the nett doubly against Uruguay. Kevin Pina scored connected a escaped footwear and Helio Varela scored the equalizer. The gully inched Cape Verde person to the knockout stage.

"This is thing we beryllium to different smaller nationalist teams — teams that struggled to suffice for a satellite tournament," Cape Verde manager Pedro Leitão said done an interpreter.

Cape Verde present has 2 points.

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Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha celebrates astatine the extremity of the World Cup Group H lucifer against Uruguay successful Miami Gardens, Fla., connected June 21, 2026. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

"We’re besides present to amusement that a state whitethorn beryllium small, whitethorn conflict financially, but if they are resilient, if they tin endure struggle, they tin besides basal enarthrosis to enarthrosis with different large teams and with players who are connected different level," the manager added.

Uruguay took a 2-1 pb aft Maxi Arújo and Agustin Canobbio enactment their shots into the backmost of the net. But it was Varela who nailed the game-tying extremity minutes aft joining the game.

"I dreamed of this," helium said. "But I ne'er imagined it would hap this way. Scoring my archetypal extremity for the nationalist squad connected my World Cup debut is incredible. I person nary words."

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha reacts astatine the extremity of the World Cup Group H shot lucifer betwixt Uruguay and Cape Verde successful Miami Gardens, Fla., connected June 21, 2026. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

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Cape Verde has a accidental to get into the World Cup's Round of 32 connected Friday should they prime up a triumph implicit Saudi Arabia. Spain volition instrumentality connected Uruguay.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.