Cape Verde reached the last 32 of World Cup 2026 after a group-stage run that answered how many more games in the world cup could turn on the 48-team format. The point against Spain, the 2-2 draw with Uruguay and the final draw with Saudi Arabia carried Cape Verde through and knocked Uruguay out.
Gianni Infantino and 48 teams
Fifa expanded the World Cup to 48 teams, and Cape Verde ended up as one of the clearest beneficiaries. Gianni Infantino may well have been thinking “I told you so” as Cape Verde’s path through the group stage delivered a place in the last 32.
The numbers from the group stage sharpen that case. Four teams won their groups with a game to spare, five teams were eliminated, and there were more goals than in any tournament since Sweden 1958.
Cape Verde’s draw with Spain and Uruguay
Cape Verde did not need a runaway group to get through. It took a point off Spain, then held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw, before drawing with Saudi Arabia in its final group game. That last result secured second place in the group.
The route matters because it shows how the expanded setup changes the edge of the tournament. Third-placed teams can still progress, which gives more sides a viable route past the group stage and leaves top teams with less jeopardy in the early rounds.
Argentina in Miami next
Cape Verde now moves on to Argentina in Miami on Friday. For a team that finished second in its group after holding Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, the next match is a direct test of whether the run can carry past the last 32.
The larger question sits behind that fixture. Did the expanded format make the World Cup better overall, or only more forgiving for the major nations it was supposed to test?
