Cape Verde secured their secnnd point in the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 2-2 draw against former champions Uruguay in their Group H match in Miami on Sunday.
Published: June 22, 2026, 11:34 AM IST
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Cape Verde’s Kevin Pina celebrates after scoring against Uruguay in their FIFA World Cup 2026 match. (Source: X)
Uruguay vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H: If there is one team who have essayed a fairty tale in this FIFA World Cup 2026 it is undoubtedly Cape Verde in Group H. A nation with a population of barely over 5 lakh people, have now managed to notch up their second successive point in the tournament after holding former champions to a 2-2 draw at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday.
One of the stars of Cape Verde show was Kevin Pina – who became he first-ever goal-scorer for the side, striking in the 21st minute to put the tiny nation ahead in the game. Pina scored on a free kick for Cape Verde’s first-ever goal in the World Cup and Helio Varela notched up the equalizer in the 61st minute of the game
“This is something we owe to other smaller national teams — teams that struggled to qualify for a world tournament,” Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito said through an interpreter, adding his entire squad believes it can continue its historic play and reach the knockout stage.
Cape Verde, who have two points in Group H along with Uruguay, faces Saudi Arabia in their final group match.
“We’re also here to show that a country may be small, may struggle financially. But if they are resilient, if they can endure struggle, they can also stand shoulder to shoulder with other major teams and with players who are on another level,” Cape Verde coach added.
Who is Kevin Pina?
Kevin Pina is a 29-year-old mid-fielder for Cape Verde, who plies his trade with Russian side Krasnodar. He had achieved a similar result in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 match vs Mozambique, when he had managed to strike from a similar distance.
WATCH Kevin Pina score vs Uruguay in FIFA World Cup 2026 match HERE…
Kevin Pina’s free kick gave Cape Verde the lead against Uruguay in the World Cup. What a moment for the fans! pic.twitter.com/K81fCFhXMA
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 21, 2026
Pina was born in Cape Verde’s capital city of Praia and began his footballing journey with a team called Tchadense. His professional career started with Oliveirense in Portugal, with loans to Anadia and Sertanense, before returning to another side in the same country – Chaves. He was part of the Chaves team till 2022 before joining Krasnodar in Russian Premier League in the 2024-25 season.
The star mid-fielder made his debut with Cape Verde in 2022 in a 6-0 win over Liechtenstein. On Sunday, he managed to score his third and most historical goal for his country.
Cape Verde is part of a group of islands off Africa’s West coast have about 4,000 square kilometers of landmass and approximately a half million inhabitants and are the third-smallest nation by population to qualify for the World Cup. “Once you’re on the pitch, a lot of things become equal,” coach Leitao Brito was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
Maxi Araújo and Agustin Canobbio scored late first-half goals to put Uruguay ahead in the contest. But Varela, minutes after coming into the game in the second half, took advantage of a bad pass by Mathias Olivera and caught Muslera way off his line for the equalizer.
“I had dreamed of this. But I never imagined it would happen this way. Scoring my first goal for the national team on my World Cup debut is incredible. I have no words,” Varela was quoted by FIFA.
