World Cup 2026: Cape Verde targeting historic knockout spot after Uruguay draw, says Bubista

Cape Verde coach Bubista has declared that his side will fight for a historic place in the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after earning an impressive 2-2 draw against Uruguay on Sunday.

The World Cup debutants continued their remarkable campaign by claiming another valuable point, following their stunning opening draw against Spain with a spirited performance against the South Americans.

Ranked 63rd in the world, the Blue Sharks are now on the brink of reaching the last 32 and will head into their final Group H fixture against Saudi Arabia knowing that a victory would secure qualification to the knockout stage.

Speaking after the match, Bubista reiterated his team’s ambition to compete with the world’s best while remaining true to their identity.

“Since the beginning, what we’ve been saying is that we would like to compete at the highest possible level, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Bubista said.

“That’s what we’ve been doing in these two matches, and more important than the result is to be able to show our identity as a team, our strength, our unity, and also our resilience.

“We’re here to compete to try to achieve a new dream, which is to qualify for the second round and I think it’s legitimate to think that way.”

The Cape Verde coach stressed that while his team respects every opponent, they are fully focused on securing qualification.

“We have the utmost respect for all of our opponents, but we’re now at a point of saying yes, we will definitely fight for qualification,” he added.

Bubista had promised before Sunday’s encounter that his players would approach the game “without fear” against Uruguay, and Cape Verde delivered on that promise with an enterprising display.

Kevin Pina handed the island nation an early advantage with a stunning free-kick before Uruguay fought back to lead 2-1. However, Cape Verde refused to surrender, with Helio Varela scoring the equaliser to earn his side another memorable result.

“We want to show the entire world that we are in the condition to fight for qualification, and I think that’s what we showed today in today’s match,” Bubista said.

“At this point all we are thinking about is to qualify for the next round.”

Cape Verde’s fearless performances have already captured the imagination of football fans, and another positive result against Saudi Arabia could see the tournament newcomers write another chapter in their fairytale World Cup journey.