LIVE UPDATES: Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia World Cup 2026 – Follow all the action, goals and celebrations

Despite the result, Cape Verde are through to the Round of 32 stage.

90+6’ Full-time in Houston as referee Francois Letexier blows the final whistle to bring the Group H clash between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia to an end.

90+2’ Abdullah Al Hamdan controls the pass well inside the area, but he fails to connect cleanly with his shot, allowing Vozinha to gather the ball comfortably.

82’ Moteb Al Harbi enters the match for Saudi Arabia, replacing Nawaf Boushal.

75’ Brilliant goalkeeping from Mohammed Al Owais! Laros Duarte finds space inside the box and drives a shot towards the bottom right corner, but the Saudi goalkeeper pulls off another excellent save. Cape Verde win a corner.

71’ Pedro Leitao Brito makes another change for Cape Verde as Garry Rodrigues replaces Ryan Mendes.

66’ Saudi Arabia make a tactical substitution with Abdullah Al Hamdan coming on to replace Sultan Mandash after instructions from coach Georgios Donis.

61’ Nuno Da Costa comes on for Dailon Livramento as Cape Verde make their first substitution of the second half.

56’ Jamiro Monteiro delivers a dangerous corner into the penalty area for Cape Verde, but the Saudi defence stays alert and clears the ball away.

53’ Referee Francois Letexier stops play after Mohamed Kanno handles the ball, giving Cape Verde a free kick.

49’ Jamiro Monteiro races onto a brilliant defence-splitting pass before firing a low effort towards the bottom left corner, but Mohammed Al Owais reads it comfortably and makes the save.

46’ Musab Al Juwayr comes on for Abdullah Al Khaibari as Saudi Arabia make a change at the start of the second half.

46’ Referee Francois Letexier blows his whistle to get the second half underway in Houston.

44’ Saudi Arabia are enjoying a strong spell of possession as their players move the ball confidently with quick one-touch passing, controlling the tempo of the game late in the first half.

41’ Cape Verde win a free kick near the touchline, prompting several players to push forward into the box in anticipation of a dangerous delivery.

39’ The assistant referee points to the corner flag as Cape Verde earn another corner kick.

36’ Salem Al Dawsari is penalised for a foul, with referee Francois Letexier quickly awarding a free kick to Cape Verde.

28’ Nasser Al Dawsari goes in too strongly on his opponent and the referee immediately stops play. Cape Verde are handed a free kick in a promising position.

22’ What a strike from Willy Semedo! The Cape Verde winger cuts inside and unleashes a thunderous effort towards the bottom left corner, but Mohammed Al Owais reacts brilliantly with a superb reflex save to deny him. Cape Verde settle for a corner kick.

19’ Saudi Arabia swing a cross into the penalty area from a mid-range free kick, but the delivery is read well and cleared away by the Cape Verde defence.

14’ Ryan Mendes bursts forward for Cape Verde and drives towards goal, but a recovering defender tracks back brilliantly to make the challenge. Cape Verde are awarded a throw-in.

11’ Salem Al Dawsari almost unlocks the Cape Verde defence with a clever through pass, but the move breaks down before it can reach a teammate. Saudi Arabia keep possession with a throw-in.

7’ Referee Francois Letexier quickly blows for a foul after a rough challenge from Willy Semedo.

3’ The referee blows his whistle once again as play continues in Houston between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.

1’ We are underway in this crucial Group H encounter after the referee signals the start of the match.

Francois Letexier has been introduced as the referee for today’s World Cup clash.

Cape Verde get the match started with the opening kick-off.

📋 OFFICIAL STARTING XI 📋

🇨🇻 Cape Verde vs 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🏆🌍 FIFA World Cup 2026 pic.twitter.com/X1LoMFkK13

— Pro_Football News (@Pro_Football1) June 26, 2026

This is the first-ever competitive meeting between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. Historically, Saudi Arabia have struggled against African opposition at the World Cup, losing only one of five such encounters (W2, D2), but Cape Verde will feel this is a chance to make history on the biggest stage.

Head-to-Head Context

Remarkably, they could become only the third African nation after Cameroon in 1982 and Senegal in 2002 to go through their debut World Cup group stage without a defeat.

A draw here could also see them match a rare World Cup milestone, joining Wales (1958), Cameroon (1982), and the Republic of Ireland (1990) as teams to draw their first three matches at the tournament. With just one defeat in their last 17 matches in all competitions, confidence is high that they can get something from this encounter.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, come into this final group game under pressure after managing just one win in their last eight matches (D2, L5).

A heavy defeat to Spain has left them bottom of the group, but they remain just one point behind second place, meaning victory here could completely reshape their tournament. However, their World Cup record remains concerning, with 13 defeats in their last 18 matches in the competition and no clean sheets across those games.

Another goal conceded would add them to a short list of nations to have shipped 50 goals in 22 or fewer World Cup matches.

Cape Verde arrive into this fixture full of confidence after impressive draws against Spain and Uruguay, extending their unbeaten run to five matches (W3, D2).

Match Build-Up and Current Form

Both sides head into this decisive group-stage encounter still with qualification hopes alive, setting up a tense battle as they fight for a potential top-two finish or a best third-place qualification spot.

Follow Africasoccer’s live coverage of the Group H clash between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston, Texas.