2026 World Cup: Historic Cape Verde, Egypt finally rewarded

Cape Verde: the underdog that made the giants tremble

No one, or almost no one, expected the Blue Sharks to get this far in the competition. For their very first ever World Cup participation, the Cape Verdeans first had to contend with a tough group, in which Spain was the team to beat. But the coach and his men built their journey on solid foundations: an impermeable defensive block (only 2 goals conceded), a flawless back line, and the energy of the substitutes to turn the game around after the break.

The scenario repeated itself against Saudi Arabia, on the last day of the group stage. Technically more comfortable in the first half, the Saudis never managed to break through a united Cape Verdean defense, which ended up snatching the essential draw (0-0) needed for qualification. Coming on as a substitute, Nuno Da Costa himself had two chances to tip the match, but could not get the better of the Saudi goalkeeper.

At the final whistle, their fate still depended on another result: Spain had to avoid collapse against Uruguay. La Roja held firm with a 1-0 win, and the Cape Verdeans then realized they had just written the finest page in their history.

The numbers show the scale of the achievement: before this World Cup, Cape Verde had played just four Africa Cup of Nations final tournaments, and never a World Cup. Securing qualification to the second round, without a single defeat in three matches—a draw against Spain, a spectacular 2-2 fought back against Uruguay, then this solid 0-0 against Saudi Arabia—belongs to a whole different level, with a second place finish in the group behind the Spanish powerhouse. The international press took note: according to ESPN, Cape Verde became the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stage of a World Cup.

Second in group H behind Spain, the Blue Sharks are not done making their country dream: they will take on Argentina and Lionel Messi on July 3rd in Miami. A clash that looks unbalanced on paper, but a team that has kept a clean sheet in two of its three matches does not show up to such an appointment just to make up the numbers.

Egypt: Salah finally discovers the round of 32, and saves Senegal along the way

For Egypt, the wait was of a different kind. The Pharaohs have never lacked talent for decades, but the World Cup second round had eluded them relentlessly since 1934 (round of 16). Against Iran, in Seattle, the scenario long seemed to be leading toward yet another frustrating outcome.

Yet Mahmoud Saber got his team off to the perfect start, opening the scoring as early as the 5th minute. Iran immediately responded with a strong attack, winning a penalty that Mohamed El-Shenawy saved. But Ramin Rezaeian eventually equalized with a powerful shot, injecting fresh suspense into the night.

In the second half, Egypt managed their advantage without taking risks, while Iran pushed hard to find the goal that would bring direct qualification. The Iranians thought they had scored that goal in the dying seconds through Khalilzadeh.

The Iranian camp's joy was cut short by VAR, which detected an offside of just a few centimeters.

This draw (1-1) was enough for the Pharaohs: they finished second in group G with 5 points, behind an imperious Belgium (who beat New Zealand 5-1 and finished first on goal difference). Mohamed Salah, 34, will thus play for the first time in his international career in the World Cup round of 32, where Egypt will face Australia. A fine reward, and no doubt one of the last great chapters in the Liverpool winger's international adventure.

But this result had an unexpected consequence thousands of kilometers away: by holding firm until the final whistle against Iran, Egypt did a great service... to Senegal. This draw in fact guaranteed that Pape Thiaw's Lions would finish ahead of Iran in the ranking of best third-placed teams, alongside Scotland, South Korea, and Uruguay, thus ensuring Senegal's qualification for the round of 32. On social media, Sadio Mané was quick to publicly thank the teammates of his former national team partner, Mohamed Salah.

Two trajectories, one same African pride

On one side, the emergence of a newcomer who turned their inexperience into collective strength. On the other, the late consecration of a generation led by one of the continent’s greatest players. Cape Verde and Egypt do not share the same past nor the same status in African football, but both symbolize, in their own way, what makes this 2026 World Cup so beautiful: the confirmation that Africa always has its place among the giants.