Cape Verde players and team officials celebrate as they qualified for the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup after the match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia at Houston Stadium on June 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. Photo: VCG
Cape Verde continued its fairy-tale run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia on Friday secured them a place in the knockout stage as the Group H runners-up behind Spain.
The result also had an unexpected impact in East Asia, inadvertently helping keep South Korea's fading hopes of advancing as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams alive.
"Cape Verde never looked intimidated as they drew with world champions Spain and Uruguay. This is what makes the World Cup special," one highly liked comment on Sina Weibo read. "Without any marquee names, they've relied on disciplined defending and teamwork to keep making history on their World Cup debut."
Cape Verde’s outcome was also closely followed by South Korean football fans because it preserved South Korea's mathematical chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams.
“Uruguay’s defeat just confirmed Cape Verde’s second place [in the group] advancing to the round of 32,” a South Korean fan wrote on X. “South Korea has now placed Uruguay below them in the third-place team rankings, boosting their chances of advancing.”
South Korean players react after being defeated by South Africa during the FIFA World Cup at Monterrey Stadium on June 24, 2026 in Guadalupe, Mexico. Photo: VCG
Had Saudi Arabia won, another third-place qualification spot would have been occupied, making South Korea's already difficult path even narrower.
On Chinese social media including X-like Weibo, the news quickly became trending as many Chinese users welcomed Cape Verde's qualification while joking that the tiny African nation had unexpectedly become "South Korea's biggest helper."
"Cape Verde’s qualification has kept South Korea's qualification calculations alive for another day," a RedNote user wrote, referring to the tradition of Chinese fans calculating complex qualification scenarios that has now been seen from their South Korean counterparts.
Cape Verde's run has already attracted an unexpected following in China, largely thanks to veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, whose remarkable performance in the team's World Cup debut match against Spain made him one of the tournament's breakout stars.
"Three points, completely different destinies. Cape Verde is through. South Korea is still doing the math. That's the cruelty of the World Cup," a Sina Weibo user posted.
With three points from three draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde finished second in the group, while four-time world champions Uruguay were eliminated after losing 1-0 to Spain in the other group match.
The achievement marks another milestone for the African island nation of just over half a million people, which has become one of the tournament's biggest surprises after frustrating two traditional football powers before sealing qualification against Saudi Arabia.
Cape Verde's inspiring run has steadily won over football fans throughout the tournament. They will now face Argentina in the Round of 32 in the country's first-ever appearance at the World Cup.
Whether South Korea ultimately capitalizes on the opportunity remains to be seen, with results from the remaining groups set to determine which of the third-placed teams advance.