This Cape Verde World Cup Story Is Guaranteed to Make You Smile

In one month’s time, we will see the two best teams on the planet play in a World Cup Final in New Jersey where it’ll take your mortgage and then some to get into the building.

And while that will be a spectacle with pomp and circumstance, the best parts of the World Cup arguably come weeks before we get to the stage where only the strongest are left standing.

On Sunday, that was reinforced with a team that might not make it to New Jersey in the middle of July, but they’re going to give it every bit of blood and sweat they have to get as close as possible.

Here are the winners and losers from another day at the World Cup.

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Winner: Cape Verde

In their first game against the European champions in Spain, Cape Verde forced them to a draw in a monumental moment for the country.

They somehow might have one-upped themselves in their second match against Uruguay, forcing another nation who has won the World Cup to a deadlock, but with this time goals involved. Cape Verde scored their first (and second) goal in World Cup history, and are now in control of their own fate going into a game with Saudi Arabia that could send them through into the Round of 32.

Loser: Uruguay

Although Uruguay didn’t have the most momentum coming into the World Cup, when they saw that their group involved Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, it almost felt like a group that would be impossible to fumble.

Now, after playing both those teams, Uruguay have only two points and need to get a result against Spain in their final contest to have any chance of making it into the Round of 32. If Spain takes care of business and beats Uruguay, it’ll be one of the most embarrassing exits for the former World Cup champion nation in history.

Winner: Egypt

First-ever World Cup win for the country and their “Egyptian King,” Mohamed Salah scored?

Oh, and they now control their destiny to outright win the group?

Yeah, that’s a gigantic win for the former African champions.

Loser: Belgium

This has been a horror of a tournament for Belgium in similar ways to Uruguay, as they drew Iran on Sunday to put them at only two points going into the final game of their group stage. While they’ll most likely qualify as they play New Zealand whereas Uruguay faces Spain, that shouldn’t be enough for a country that 12 years ago thought they would be in a World Cup Final by now.

Belgium can still turn this around and make a run towards the quarterfinals, but it feels like their time as a legitimate contender for the trophy might be over. The promised golden generation of Belgium has come and gone, and all that’s left is a team looking for a new identity.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 11:49 PM.