Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Cape Verde national team continued its impressive performances in the 2026 World Cup, securing a valuable 2-2 draw against Uruguay in the second round of Group H matches, earning its second point in the tournament and boosting its hopes of advancing to the next round.
At the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the African team entered the match with great confidence and succeeded in opening the scoring through Kevin Pina in the 21st minute with a superb direct free kick, marking the first goal in Cape Verde’s history at the World Cup during its inaugural participation in the tournament.
Despite Cape Verde’s strong start, the Uruguayan team managed to turn the score around before the end of the first half, as Maxi Araujo equalized in the 44th minute before assisting the second goal scored by Agustin Canobbio in stoppage time of the first half, ending the first half with Uruguay leading 2-1.
In the second half, Cape Verde displayed strong character and refused to give up, returning to the match through Helio Varela, who capitalized on a defensive error and broke free on goal before placing the ball in the net in the 61st minute, scoring the equalizer that his team maintained until the final whistle despite Uruguay’s continuous attempts to snatch the match points.
With this draw, both teams raised their points tally to two each, sitting in second and third place, with Uruguay having the advantage on goal difference, while Spain leads the group with four points after a significant victory over Saudi Arabia, which has one point.
This draw marks Cape Verde’s second in the tournament after a goalless draw against Spain in the first round, continuing to write one of the most notable surprises of the 2026 World Cup and confirming its ability to compete with established teams despite its recent entry into the finals.
