Zlatan Ibrahimovic sends clear message to Cape Verde after World Cup shock
Cape Verde made history on Friday, advancing to the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in their very first World Cup appearance.
Group H consisted of Cape Verde, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. Nobody picked Cape Verde to emerge out of that group, and yet, in their debut, they finished second to become the first nation to advance to the knockout stage on debut since Slovakia in 2010. They also became the first nation since Chile in 1998 to advance from the group stage without winning a single match.
After the historic moment, legendary Swedish striker, now FOX Sports analyst, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, credited the small island country while also putting pressure on the Blue Sharks to keep the momentum going.
“Small island. Big dreams. That’s how it is when you dream big,” Ibrahimovic said. “I have to give credit to Thierry (Henry) because he said before he started to watch out for Cape Verde. Is this the tournament of the African teams? We’ll have to find out.”
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Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper, recorded seven saves in Cape Verde’s opening match against tournament favorites Spain, holding La Roja’s star-studded lineup to a shocking 0-0 draw. Spain fired 27 shots and 14 goal kicks. Even 18-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal couldn’t break Cape Verde’s defense.
Their next match against Uruguay was a thriller. Midfielder Kevin Pina scored the country’s first-ever World Cup goal from a free-kick in the 21st minute, only for Uruguay to put in two goals from Maxi Araujo and Agustin Canobbio before halftime. But the Blue Sharks came back in the second half, as a mistake from 40-year-old Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera in the 61st minute allowed Helio Varela to grab Cape Verde’s second goal, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.
Then, Cape Verde held on to a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday, as Spain secured a 1-0 win over Uruguay, sending Cape Verde into the World Cup knockout rounds as the runners-up in the group behind Spain.
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Next up, they’ll face arguably the greatest soccer player in history, Lionel Messi, and Argentina. Cape Verde and Argentina are set to face off on Friday, July 3, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, at 6 p.m. ET.
Argentina are the defending World Cup champions, and Messi will be playing back at home in Miami, where he competes professionally for MLS side Inter Miami.
