HOUSTON: Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde will seek a win to earn a place in the World Cup round-of-32 when they clash on Friday, with the latter hoping to continue their run as one of the stories of the tournament and many fans’ second favourite team.
Fancied Spain head Group ‘H’ with four points from two games, while their final opponents Uruguay have two. Cape Verde also have two points and Saudi Arabia one, meaning any of the four teams can still qualify for the next stage.
The African side are making their debut at the World Cup but have earned praise for a battling goalless draw with Spain and a more evenly-contested 2-2 result against Uruguay, where they showcased their never-say-die spirit.
The Saudis lost 4-0 to Spain in their last game but will fancy their chances and hope the Cape Verdeans run out of steam in humid Houston.
Such has been the popularity of the latter at their Florida training base that they were joined on Wednesday by Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Dominic Casciato for training and an exchange of jerseys.
There will certainly be many willing them to continue their journey into the next round.
Saudi Arabia have their own ambitions and their coach Georgios Donis, who took over in April, will hope for a much improved performance on their heavy defeat by Spain, which had followed a hard-earned 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
Meanwhile, Uruguay arrive at Friday’s meeting with Spain in urgent need of a first World Cup win after two draws turned a promising start into a precarious path to the knockout rounds.
Uruguay have created enough chances to suggest they should be in a stronger position, but defensive errors and missed opportunities have left them needing a sharp response in Guadalajara.
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa accepted responsibility for the defensive lapses, but the urgency is shared across a squad whose final group game comes against a Spain team who arrive in Guadalajara in a very different mood.
After opening with a flat draw against Cape Verde, Luis de la Fuente’s European champions responded emphatically against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, powered by the return of Lamine Yamal to the starting lineup. De la Fuente said it was “crazy” to question a Spain team unbeaten in 33 consecutive matches.
Published in Dawn, June 26 , 2026