Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks added another scalp to a World Cup debut that has already stunned the field, holding two-time champion Uruguay to a 2-2 draw at Miami Stadium on Sunday with a second-half equalizer from Maccabi Tel Aviv winger Helio Varela. The goal was Varela’s first international strike in 21 international appearances and arrived on a day that also delivered Egypt’s first World Cup victory in 90 years and a 0-0 draw between Iran and Belgium played against a backdrop of war, US travel restrictions, and a handwritten thank-you note left in a Los Angeles locker room.
Cape Verde arrived at the tournament as a first-time qualifier and held European champion Spain to a goalless draw in their opener last week. On Sunday they twice traded the lead with Uruguay before Varela pounced on Uruguay defender Mathias Olivera’s misplaced crossfield pass, kneed the ball past the inexplicably advanced Fernando Muslera, and steered it into an empty net.
Varela’s First International Goal Stuns Uruguay
Cape Verde’s Kevin Pina gave the Blue Sharks the lead in the 21st minute at Miami Stadium, curling a long-range free kick between a porous two-man wall and past Uruguay goalkeeper Muslera for the tiny island nation’s first-ever World Cup goal. The strike sent the packed Miami crowd into early pandemonium and rewarded a Cape Verde side that had already announced itself by holding European champion Spain goalless in their tournament opener. Uruguay, looking to put a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia behind them, were suddenly chasing the game.
The two-time world champions answered in the six minutes before halftime. Uruguay left winger Maxi Araujo, who had salvaged Uruguay’s opening point with a late goal against Saudi Arabia, struck his second World Cup goal in the 44th minute, stooping low to head the ball into an empty net after Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte’s header had spun back off the post. Araujo then turned provider, heading Ugarte’s inswinging free kick down into the path of Uruguay’s Agustin Canobbio, who made no mistake with the finish. The flurry was also the first goal conceded at the tournament by 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who had been named Player of the Match against Spain.
Uruguay’s lead looked safe as the second half wore on in Miami’s stifling heat, with the Cape Verde players visibly tiring from their defensive effort. Coach Bubista made a couple of changes in the 58th minute, sending on 24-year-old Varela from his Maccabi Tel Aviv bench.
Three minutes after the substitutions, Varela pounced on Olivera’s ill-advised crossfield pass, kneed the ball past the inexplicably advanced Muslera, and steered it into a vacant goal. The chance was spurned rather than created, and the finish was his first international strike in 21 Cape Verde appearances, three goals into 23 games for his Israeli club. “We’re here to try to achieve a new dream, which is to qualify for the second round,” Cape Verde coach Bubista said. “I think it’s legitimate for us to think that way.”
We would like to compete at the highest level and that’s what we’ve been doing in these two games.
Cape Verde’s Pattern Holds Against a Second World Cup Giant
Cape Verde’s opening 0-0 draw with Spain last week had already announced the African debutants to the tournament. On Sunday they doubled down, trading two-goal swings with a team that has lifted the World Cup twice and walking away with a point that leaves their knockout-stage hopes alive heading into a final group game against Saudi Arabia. Both Uruguay and Cape Verde now sit two points behind group leaders Spain, a gap small enough that the Saudi clash carries a spot in the round of 32 with it. Through two matches, the Blue Sharks have yet to trail by more than a goal at any point.
The script against Uruguay looked at one stage as if the heat and energy of the defensive effort had finally caught Cape Verde, with Bubista’s double substitution coming as Uruguay pressed for a third. In Miami, the second-half pattern echoed the one that had earned Cape Verde their Spain point: a set-piece goal, a deep defensive block, and the patience to wait for the opponent’s mistake. Varela’s equalizer arrived off Uruguay’s error rather than Cape Verde’s design, but Cape Verde had already created the chaos that forced it.
Cape Verde’s bold ambition of reaching the round of 32 remains very much alive heading into their clash with the Saudis. For more on Uruguay’s opening night in Miami, see Uruguay’s opening 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, and for the wider picture in the group, the World Cup 2026 Group H guide sets out the standings and the fixtures ahead.
Uruguay’s Halftime Lead Evaporates
The two-goal halftime cushion that Uruguay carried off the pitch evaporated in the second half, and with it any certainty that the two-time world champions will reach the knockout rounds. Uruguay sit on two points from two games and now face Spain in their final group fixture with their place in the round of 32 far from assured. Coach Marcelo Bielsa was blunt about what the result cost.
“Undoubtedly, Uruguay has a better squad than the one from Cabo Verde but we had to show it,” Bielsa said. “Even with the goals that we conceded, we should have won.” The Canobbio miss in the dying minutes, when he was played through on goal and blasted his shot over the bar, will weigh on the review. Uruguay’s Saudi draw had been billed as a stumble; a draw with Cape Verde reads as another.
We need to turn up against Spain and we have the need and the obligation to beat them.
Salah and Egypt End a 90-Year World Cup Drought in Vancouver
Mohamed Salah scored once and set up another as Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver on Sunday to record the country’s first World Cup victory, ending a 90-year wait that had stretched across every Egyptian appearance at the tournament. The Group G result put Egypt top of the group on four points and within a draw of the round of 32, and the official New Zealand v Egypt match centre carries the full line-ups and stats.
New Zealand struck first. Finn Surman’s towering header after 15 minutes gave the Kiwis a lead they would hold for nearly an hour, and twice in the tournament they had already shown an ability to recover from conceding first. Mostafa Zico, the Egypt forward named after the Brazilian great, headed in a cross from Mohamed Hany to level before the break. Salah then took over: he exchanged passes with Zico in the 67th minute and curled in a left-footed shot, before providing the assist for substitute Trezeguet, himself named after the former France forward, to head home and put the result beyond doubt. The Kiwis, who had let a lead slip in a 2-2 opener against Iran, again could not hold.
Egypt top Group G on four points and need just a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday to move into the round of 32. Coach Hossam Hassan told his players before the match that the Vancouver atmosphere felt like Cairo Stadium, and the result played out the way he predicted.
“In years to come we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history,” Salah said. New Zealand captain Chris Wood offered a more measured view: “I think we contained them well enough, but they have good enough people in the whole side. You can’t just focus on one player, and he (Salah) can pop up with a goal at any time and he showed that.”
Iran’s Goalless Draw Built on Seven Saves and a Handwritten Note
Iran and Belgium played to a 0-0 draw at SoFi Stadium on a day that left a Belgian side that has yet to score at this tournament chasing a knockout-round spot. The match was a Belgian stroll in every metric, with Belgium dominating possession and outshooting Iran by a wide margin. Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves behind a defense that frequently packed seven men into the penalty area, and Belgium could not find a way past him.
Belgium ended the match a man down. Defender Nathan Ngoy reached out and grabbed Mehdi Taremi by the shirt as the Iranian forward broke clear in the second half, earning a red card that left Belgium to play the final 23 minutes down a man. The Belgians had earlier been saved by the video assistant referee: Taremi had put the ball past Thibaut Courtois in the 25th minute from a free-kick routine, only for Argentine referee Darío Herrera to disallow the goal for offside after a lengthy review.
Iran left a handwritten note in their SoFi Stadium locker room after the match, thanking Los Angeles for its hospitality during a World Cup the team has spent dealing with US travel restrictions, with their training camp moved from Tucson to Tijuana and more than a dozen members of their delegation barred from entering the country. “From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast,” the note read. “We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity.”
- Belgium outshooting Iran: 23-7
- Shots blocked by Iran’s defense: 6
- Belgium possession: more than 60 of 90 minutes
- Iran in position to advance: first time in seven World Cups
- Iranian delegation barred from US: more than a dozen
Sunday’s World Cup Results at a Glance
Three matches across two groups left the World Cup knockout picture in sharper focus on Sunday night. Egypt sit atop Group G, Iran remain in contention despite the constraints, and Cape Verde hold the Group H story everyone will be talking about. Uruguay, the closest thing to a Group H favorite behind Spain, now face a must-win Spain match on Friday.
The group stage concludes on Friday with three games that will settle both groups: Cape Verde meet Saudi Arabia, Egypt face Iran in Seattle, and Uruguay play Spain. Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh, asked what it would mean to advance, kept it simple: “We know how important that is, making history. It’s really in our control to do what we have to do. Firstly for our people back home and then for ourselves.”
| Match | Result | Goalscorers / Key Moments |
|---|---|---|
| Uruguay vs Cape Verde (Group H) | 2-2 | Pina 21′, Varela 60′ / Araujo 44′, Canobbio 45’+ |
| Iran vs Belgium (Group G) | 0-0 | Beiranvand 7 saves; Taremi goal disallowed 25′; Ngoy red card 67′ |
| Egypt vs New Zealand (Group G) | 3-1 | Salah 67′, Zico, Trezeguet / Surman 15′ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who scored Cape Verde’s equalizer against Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup?
Helio Varela, the 24-year-old winger who plays club football for Maccabi Tel Aviv, came off the bench and scored his first international goal around the hour mark at Miami Stadium. The goal cancelled out Uruguay’s halftime lead and gave Cape Verde a 2-2 draw.
How did Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver?
New Zealand opened the scoring through Finn Surman after 15 minutes. Mostafa Zico headed Egypt level before the break. Mohamed Salah curled in a left-footed shot in the 67th minute and then set up substitute Trezeguet for the third goal.
What do Egypt need to reach the World Cup knockout round?
Egypt sit top of Group G on four points and need just a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday to advance to the round of 32 for the first time in the country’s history. The fixture is the same one Iran need to win to top the group.
Why did Iran leave a thank-you note in their SoFi Stadium locker room?
The squad has been based in Tijuana, Mexico, between games because of US travel restrictions, with more than a dozen members of their delegation barred from entering the country. The note thanked Los Angeles for hosting them during the tournament and read in part that the team had “come to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity.”
