Cinderella stories are more than capable of happening in the biggest sports tournaments. It is no different for the FFIA World Cup as Cape Verde is enjoying an incredible start to its debut campaign.
Cape Verde punched its ticket to the World Cup for the first time ever. They excelled throughout its qualifying campaign in Africa to clinch one of 48 spots available.
The national team has since made remarkable noise in their group, featuring Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. They put forth a historic effort to draw favorites Spain 0-0 in the group opener, garnering global recognition for their quality of play.
Cape Verde finally netted its first World Cup goals in history and managed to remain undefeated in the group. They settled for a 2-2 draw against Uruguay, making history that no debutant has seen since 2002, per ESPN Insights.
“Cape Verde is the first debutant to avoid defeat in its first two FIFA World Cup matches since Senegal in 2002 (1-1-0)!” the post read.
What's next for Cape Verde after Uruguay draw
Cape Verde is happy to remain undefeated in the group stage. This also keeps them in the mix for the knockout stage after drawing with Uruguay.
“This is something we owe to other smaller national teams,” manager Pedro Leitão Brito said through an interpreter. “Teams that struggled to qualify for a world tournament. We're also here to show that a country may be small, may struggle financially, but if they are resilient, if they can endure struggle, they can also stand shoulder to shoulder with other major teams and with players who are on another level.”
Cape Verde improved to third place in the Group H standings after getting two points in two matches. They are above Saudi Arabia while trailing Uruguay and Spain at the moment.
Cape Verde will look forward to securing a place in the Round of 32 in its group finale. They take on Saudi Arabia in a must-win on June 26 at 8 p.m. ET.
