The Saudi national team brought down the curtain on its participation in the 2026 World Cup, after being content with a goalless draw against the Cape Verde national team, in the match that brought together the two teams in the third and final round of the group stage competitions.
The confrontation was largely equal, as the two teams exchanged control over the course of the game, with continuous attempts by the Saudi national team to search for a goal that would give it a pass to the round of 32, while the Cape Verde national team relied on defensive organization. And launching counterattacks.
The “Green” team entered the match realizing that victory was the only option to maintain its hopes of qualifying, so it imposed offensive pressure from the first minutes, trying to exploit spaces and create opportunities in front of its opponent’s goal.
The most dangerous opportunity for the Saudi team came in the first half in the 45th minute, when Mohamed Kanno rose to head a strong ball, but the Cape Verdean goalkeeper excelled in stopping it, so the first half ended in a draw without Goals.
In the second half, the Saudi team continued its offensive attempts, hoping to score the winning goal, but the Cape Verdean defense appeared strong and succeeded in closing all the openings, so the match ended in a goalless draw.
With this result, the Cape Verdean team raised its score to five points, clinching its qualification to the round of 32 after finishing the group stage in second place, while the Saudi team settled for two points, leaving the tournament in the group stage, amid great disappointment after failing to reach the round of 32. Achieving the victory that would have maintained his hopes of continuing the journey.