Uruguay v Cape Verde: World Cup 2026 – live

Key events

22m ago

Halftime: Uruguay 2-1 Cape Verde

23m ago

Goal! Uruguay 2-1 Cape Verde (Cano 45 +6)

25m ago

Goal ... maybe. Uruguay 2-1 Cape Verde if it stands

31m ago

Goal! Uruguay 1-1 Cape Verde (Araújo 44)

54m ago

Goal! Uruguay 0-1 Cape Verde (Pina 21)

1h ago

Peep!

2h ago

Starting XIs

2h ago

Preamble

Should this result hold, Spain and Uruguay would be tied atop the group with four points each and virtually assured a spot in the round of 98, I mean, 32. Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia would have one point each heading into their meeting. Barring a wipeout in this half, Cape Verde would lead on goal difference, but that wouldn’t come into play – a draw surely wouldn’t put either team through.

50 min: Cape Verde handle the corner kick with little trouble and clear the ball.

49 min: Caceres interrupts the game of keepaway to play a hopeful ball down the right. Uruguay still retain possession and win a corner kick several hundred passes later.

47 min: Long Uruguayan possession, as if intending to pass the ball around in Cape Verde’s half for 45 minutes.

How was everyone’s day? Happy Father’s Day to all who celebrate.

The xG count for the first half heavily favored Uruguay because free kicks generally do not travel through walls like a spherical ghost, which was the case on Cape Verde’s goal.

Halftime sub: Arcanjo is finally allowed to leave. Duarte is on.

We resume …

With the help of the rewind button, let’s re-examine the Uruguay goals …

1-1: Borges beat a couple of Uruguayan foes to take the ball alone to the edge of the center circle, where he let fly in his best Carli Lloyd/Yael Averbuch impression. It was nowhere near the goal, and Muslera quickly corraled the ball. While everyone back near the Cape Verde goal switched off – and Viñas was sportingly helping Arcanjo stretch – Muslera played it forward, the broadcast feed elected to show other stuff for a couple of seconds, Uruguay worked the ball down the left flank a few yards from the goal line, the ball was cut back outside the corner of the penalty area, a diagonal ball went to Bentancur between two defenders, the ball caromed off the post, and Araújo had the easy tap-in.

2-1: Partial clearance by Cape Verde, recycled, Ugarte takes in the center of the Cape Verde half, chips it to Araújo, and he nods the ball to Cano, who was kept onside by Lopes while the Cape Verde defender was stuck in no-man’s land.

Belated lineup note: I believe I said there was only one change for Uruguay from the opening game to today’s game, but there are two. Cano, who just scored, is one of the newcomers, along with left back Sanabria. Out: defender Matias Viña and former Liverpool attacker Darwin Nuñez.

Cano started this game in an ill temper and is very lucky not to have seen yellow by now.

Halftime: Uruguay 2-1 Cape Verde

Uruguay must consider themselves fortunate here, but they’ve also ruthlessly punished a couple of occasions in which the Cape Verde defense looked several steps slower to react than they did against Spain.

Goal! Uruguay 2-1 Cape Verde (Cano 45 +6)

Cape Verde backs either needed to pull up to render Cano offside or stop Araújo from getting a head to the ball to put it on a platter for his teammate. They do neither, and both Uruguayan goals have been tap-ins.

Goal ... maybe. Uruguay 2-1 Cape Verde if it stands

Either offside or run to perfection.

45 min +4 More possession and another diagonal ball into the penalty area for Uruguay, cleared.

Another attempt, and Viñas tries to run past a defender but only runs into his arm. Ouch.

Fourth official Tori Penso waves Arcanjo back onto the field with a pleasant smile, maybe even an apologetic smile. None of this makes sense to anyone outside of IFAB.

The goal stands, play has resumed, Arcanjo is out, and because he took a while to leave the field, Cape Verde aren’t allowed to immediately replace him.

This new Law about leaving the field quickly needs to get the bugs ironed out. It’s first-half stoppage time. He’s not time-wasting.

Five minutes of stoppage.

The play came back down the field so quickly that Viñas was busy helping Arcanjo stretch out a cramp, then suddenly sprang into action upon seeing the ball headed back their way.

Goal! Uruguay 1-1 Cape Verde (Araújo 44)

Muslero quickly sends the ball up the field. After another pass, it lands in a trio of players – two Cape Verde, one Uruguayan, and it bangs off the post. Vozinha has to slide over to be sure it doesn’t go in, and the ball bounds back to Araújo, who lowers his head and taps it in.

We have a VAR check.

43 min A 75-yard shot! Cape Verde finds Muslera off his line. It misses, and then …

43 min Benchimol tries to latch on to a through ball on the counter, but the danger is extinguished quickly, and Uruguay reset.

41 min Uruguay get a bit impatient and lob the ball into the mixer, where it is recycled back out.

Arcanjo is down just outside the penalty arc and slow to get up. Play continues.

40 min Better for Uruguay. Good cross from the right, past the goal mouth to Maxi Araújo, who rises for a header 8 yards from goal and puts it high.

Still nothing on target for Uruguay, but give Araújo three chances at that, and surely one is problematic for Cape Verde.

38 min Chance for Cape Verde! Lopes Cabral with the half-shot, half-cross, and as it starts to curl back toward the onrusing Benchimol, Muslera leaps to push it aside for a corner.

37 min Cape Verde attacker fouled … or not? What constitutes a foul these days? If I let that go in a youth game, I’d have parents yelling at me that they’re going to take their kids off the field.

36 min Cano again clatters into Lopes Cabral, who rolls around the ground. Theatrics, perhaps, but how exactly does Cano not have a persistent infringement yellow at this point?

34 min Caceres lashes a shot from 30 yards. It skips past the far post. That probably wouldn’t have troubled Vozinha.

33 min Uruguay can’t find a way through. They still haven’t forced a save, let alone 15 of them.

32 min Uruguay slowing things down now – not a bad idea, given the heat and humidity.

31 min Vozinha does a rugby-style free kick, knocking it out of play as far down the field as possible. That’s twice now, so perhaps it’s intentional?

29 min Monteiro falls, no call, falls again, no call. This World Cup hasn’t been quite as strict on fouls as previous competitions.

During the hydration break, let’s marvel over the fact that Cape Verde now have one World Cup goal in their history.

Meanwhile, youth soccer coaches everywhere are planning to use that highlight to show players what NOT to do in a wall. The two Uruguayans simply moved slightly away from each other, and Pina shot it through the gap. If that was intentional, it was brilliant.

It looked like Lopes Cabral was going to take the shot, as if taking revenge for all the fouls against him. But it was Pina who stepped up to take it.

Goal! Uruguay 0-1 Cape Verde (Pina 21)

Are you kidding me?

Pina threads it between the knees of the two players in the wall who failed to stick together, and Muslera has no chance.

20 min Yellow to Uruguay as Arcanjo slips past Bentancur, who trips the onrushing Cape Verde midfielder. Free kick from 25 … maybe 28 yards. Or 26 or 27.

18 min Lopes Cabral is fouled again.

17 min Vozinha confidently collects the cross from the corner. He tries to go long with his distribution but sends it out of play.

16 min Uruguay attack quickly on the left and play the ball into the box, cleared for a corner. Still – pressure, but no serious chances.

15 min Cape Verde attackers run into each other, and Uruguay go on the break. Valverde drags his shot well wide of the far post and knows he could’ve done better.

14 min A touch for Vozinha, who catches an arcing pass like an outfielder in baseball. Hasn’t been put to work yet.

13 min A rare foray forward for Cape Verde, but it leads only to a misplayed cross.

12 min Another Uruguay corner accomplishes little, and they end up hitting a hopeful ball forward that sails out.

10 min Good diagonal ball to the left flank for Uruguay that’s clipped back for a close-range header that slams into the shoulder of a Cape Verde defender.

Let’s explain the multiple reasons why that wasn’t a handball:

1. There was an offside call in the buildup.

2. The shot hit the player at close range, and the arm was in a natural position.

3. The shot hit the shoulder. Not lower on the arm.

Everyone got that? Good.

9 min Uruguay are playing like Uruguay. Sharp short passes. Good movement. No chances created yet, but this will be nervy for Cape Verde, especially as they’re playing with four at the back and leaving someone open on the opposite flank.

7 min Cape Verde get several attempts to clear this ball, but they don’t get it out of there.

Cano is again annoyed for some reason.

6 min Corner kick to Uruguay after a clinical rapid attack up the left.

5 min The referee is putting a stop to this nonsense now. Lopes Cabral is very late to a challenge and picks up yellow, which means we will not see him in the third match of the group stage.

4 min Cano is down, having received a small shove from Borges that, if his reaction is to be believed, dislocated several vertebrae.

3 min Lopes Cabral is judo-tossed again. What’d he do to deserve this?

Reminder – a yellow card for persistent infringement can be awarded even if different guys are fouling the same person.

2 min Cano mugs Lopes Cabral in an effort to get to a ball played across the field. The referee believes that is not allowed.

Peep!

We’re off. Uruguay in their pleasant blue and white. Cape Verde in all red.

I very much like the Cape Verde national anthem. I’ll see if my band can open our next show with it, though this rendition has the odd tempo change that would probably throw us off.

Pregame ceremonies are moving swiftly, so kickoff should be on time.

More match facts

Venue: Miami Stadium. You might know it as Hard Rock Stadium, but not on this occasion.

Weather: Don’t complain about the hydration break in this one. It’s hot – 31 degrees Celsius or 88 degrees Fahrenheit – and humid (68%).

Referee: Espen Eskås leads a Norwegian crew, with ARs Jan Erik Engan and Isaak Bashevkin. The fourth official and reserve officials are two of the outstanding crew of US women that handled the Czechia-South Africa game – Tori Penso and Brooke Mayo. The lead in the VAR room is Willy Delajod, joined by fellow Frenchman Jerome Brisard and Dennis Higler of the Netherlands.

Jose Mourinho once labeled Eskås “arrogant,” which many people would likely take as a compliment. That was after the then-Fenerbahce manager believed his team had three penalties denied as they exited the Europa League at the hands of Rangers.

The combined population of these two nations is around 4 million, with Uruguay having about 3.4 million and Cape Verde around 525,000.

That makes this the smallest population represented in any group-stage game. Only Curaçao (185,000) is smaller than Cape Verde, and their group-stage opponents (Germany, Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador) are all considerably bigger than Uruguay.

Meanwhile, let’s check in on the top 10 countries in population to see how they’re doing:

India – did not qualify

China – did not qualify

United States – doing OK so far

Indonesia – did not qualify

Pakistan – did not qualify

Nigeria – did not qualify

Brazil – leading Group C

Bangladesh – did not qualify

Russia – suspended from competition

Ethiopia – did not qualify

The next few countries made it, at least.

Starting XIs

Uruguay

Muslera; Sanabria, Olivera, Caceres, Varela; Bentancur, Ugarte, Araújo, Valverde, Cano; Viñas

The single change from their lineup that started their 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia: Agustin Cano (Fluminense) replaces Viña (River Plate). Defender Ronald Araújo has been battling injury and misses the starting XI again – that’s Maxi Araújo, the goal-scorer in the opener, in the starting midfield.

Cape Verde

Dias (“Vozinha”); Lopes Cabral, Borges (“Diney”), Lopes (“Pico”), Moreira; Pina, Rodrigues, Monteiro, Mendes, Arcanjo; Tavares (“Benchimol”)

Telmo Arcanjo cracks the starting lineup after a brief stint as a substitute against Spain. Gilson “Benchimol” Tavares also is in, along with 35-year-old midfielder Garry Rodrigues, neither of whom figured in the first game. Out: Jovane Cabral, Laros Duarte, Dailon Livramento.

Rodriguez was the first Dutch-born player to represent Cape Verde, starting in 2013. Benchimol had a hat trick against Liechtenstein in 2022.

Preamble

Paradoxically, this World Cup has been the year of high scores – the average number of goals per game is a little above 3.0, a number not seen since the 1950s – and the year of the goalkeeper.

Eloy Room of Curaçao wowed Cup-watchers with 15 saves, the most in a 90-minute match since modern record-keeping started (Tim Howard had 16 in an extra-time game to become the most meme-worthy person in the USA for a while).

Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand posted a save that will rival the legendary Gordon Banks save against Pele in the just-concluded game against Belgium.

And Cape Verde goalkeeper Josimar Dias, better known as “Vozinha,” has become an international superstar after slamming the door on Spain.

Will Uruguay manage a way past Vozinha? Will Cape Verde manage a goal of their own? Did you expect to be contemplating such questions a month ago?

Contemplate for the next couple of hours right here …

Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what to know about Uruguay and Cape Verde before they meet in a few hours in Miami.

Uruguay

Marcelo Bielsa has left his indelible mark on this Uruguay team. His 4-3-3 system is built for direct football, allowing his side to press their opponents high up the field and chase the ball at all times. There is no letup in attacking when Uruguay have possession.

Ignacio Alonso, the president of the Uruguayan Football Association, set the target: “Uruguay have to aspire to be in the world’s top 10 and therefore we have to reach the quarter-finals.” Alonso also addressed concerns over Uruguay’s form. “Bielsa is very excited for the World Cup,” he said. “He’s got his mind focused on the preparations. His objective is to have a great World Cup. It’s his aspiration, the result of all his work, research and preparation.”

Cape Verde

The Blue Sharks of Cape Verde are swimming in uncharted waters as they make their World Cup debut, but you wouldn’t want to bet against them. The tiny archipelago off the coast of west Africa played their first World Cup qualifier in 2000, but if any team can handle the pressure of a meteoric rise to the top of world football it is Cape Verde. After all, the country’s national slogan – morabeza – roughly translates to “no stress”. They will need that mentality as they take on Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.

It is an eclectic group of players assembled by Pedro Leitão Brito, known as Bubista. The 26-man squad represents 25 clubs from 14 countries and has more players born in Rotterdam (six) than in Cape Verde’s capital, Praia. But for a nation built on immigration, navigating complex identities and languages isn’t a challenge, it’s something to be embraced.