Cape Verde's memorable journey at their first ever World Cup is not over yet.
The island nation off the western coast of Africa became the smallest nation by population to ever make the knockout stage of a men's World Cup after a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia in their group-stage finale on Friday.
The tournament debutants pulled off one of the World Cup's biggest surprises by playing pre-tournament favorites Spain to a scoreless draw in its opener. They followed that up by scoring its first goals of the World Cup in a 2-2 tie against Uruguay.
With Friday's draw they finish undefeated on three points and take second place in Group H, behind 2010 winner Spain and a point ahead of two-time World Cup champions Uruguay.
Uruguay's defeat to Spain at the same time on Friday means they join Saudi Arabia in succumbing to an early exit.
The big-hitters will keep coming for Cape Verde, with defending champions Argentina next up in a round-of-32 matchup in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 3.
Cape Verde's population of 525,000 inhabitants is smaller than all 50 U.S. states, with Wyoming the closest with a population of 576,000.
Already they have gone further than the only smaller nations by population to reach the World Cup. Curaçao and Iceland were both eliminated after the group stage in their sole appearances in 2026 and 2018, respectively.
They are the first debutants to go unbeaten in their three group-stage matches at a World Cup since Senegal in 2002
Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Reseatch contributed to this report.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49192570/cape-verde-w2026-world-cup-knockout-stage-smallest-nation