Cape Verde Islands vs Saudi Arabia, Worldcup 2026 GROUP STAGE
Overview
Match Preview
Cape Verde Islands vs Saudi Arabia — Worldcup at NRG Stadium.
- Cape Verde Islands 3 games · 3 pts (2026/26)
- Saudi Arabia 3 games · 2 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Francois Letexier
- Assistant 1 Cyril Mugnier
- Assistant 2 Mehdi Rahmouni
18 games this season
🟨 4.1/game
⚽ 9.7 goals/game
🟥 4 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Czechia | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Canada | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Qatar | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Brazil | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Morocco | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Scotland | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | Haiti | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | United States | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Australia | 3 | 4 |
| 15 | Paraguay | 3 | 4 |
| 16 | Turkey | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | Germany | 3 | 6 |
| 18 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | Ecuador | 3 | 4 |
| 20 | Curacao | 3 | 1 |
| 21 | Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| 22 | Japan | 3 | 5 |
| 23 | Sweden | 3 | 4 |
| 24 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | Belgium | 3 | 5 |
| 26 | Egypt | 3 | 5 |
| 27 | Iran | 3 | 3 |
| 28 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | Spain | 3 | 7 |
| 30 | Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 3 |
| 31 | Uruguay | 3 | 2 |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2 |
| 33 | France | 3 | 9 |
| 34 | Norway | 3 | 6 |
| 35 | Senegal | 3 | 3 |
| 36 | Iraq | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | Argentina | 3 | 9 |
| 38 | Austria | 3 | 4 |
| 39 | Algeria | 3 | 4 |
| 40 | Jordan | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | Colombia | 3 | 7 |
| 42 | Portugal | 3 | 5 |
| 43 | Congo DR | 3 | 4 |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 |
| 45 | England | 3 | 7 |
| 46 | Croatia | 3 | 6 |
| 47 | Ghana | 3 | 4 |
| 48 | Panama | 3 | 0 |
Head-to-Head
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
Season Stats
| Cape Verde Islands | Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|---|
| #30 | Position | #32 |
| 3 | Points | 2 |
| 3 | Played | 3 |
| 0 / 3 / 0 | W / D / L | 0 / 2 / 1 |
| 2 | Scored | 1 |
| 2 | Conceded | 5 |
| +0 | GD | -4 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 0.67 |
| 0% | Win % | 0% |
Key Stats
0%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (1 games)
H2H (1 games)
0%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
50%
Clean Sheets
Cape Verde Islands this season
Cape Verde Islands this season
33%
Clean Sheets
Saudi Arabia this season
Saudi Arabia this season
Cape Verde Islands are 30th (3 pts). Saudi Arabia are 32nd (2 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Cape Verde Islands
0-15
–/–
16-30
1/1
31-45
–/2
46-60
1/–
61-75
1/–
76+
1/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Saudi Arabia
0-15
–/1
16-30
–/2
31-45
1/–
46-60
–/–
61-75
–/–
76+
–/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' And we are off! Cape Verde Islands vs Saudi Arabia — let the football do the talking.
- 4' Saud Abdulhamid was booked on 4.
- 9' The referee shows Cape Verde Islands player a card on 9.
- 14' Cape Verde Islands are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Saudi Arabia backline.
- 19' The clock is ticking and both teams know a goal could change everything at this point.
- 24' Wagner Pina has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 9 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 29' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Nawaf Boushal made 10 appearances and scored 0 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 33' The supporters are chanting for Ali Lajami. He replaces Hassan Al Tambakti on 33 minute.
- 38' Cape Verde Islands are deployed in a 4-1-2-3 today, looking to exploit space against Saudi Arabia's 4-4-2 shape.
- 43' Although teams showed high tempo form the start, they seem to slow down a bit. Both sides really need to catch a fire. Otherwise, we have another goalless match.
- 46' Musab Al Juwayr is replacing Abdullah Al Khaibari for the Saudi Arabia side.
- 51' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Cape Verde Islands side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 56' Saudi Arabia come into this ranked in Array. They desperately need points to push themselves up the standings.
- 61' The whistle greets Dailon Rocha Livramento as he departs to be replaced by Nuno Da Costa.
- 65' Saudi Arabia make a change. Salem Al Dawsari trudges off to be replaced by Mohammed Abu Al Shamat on 65 minutes.
- 66' The crowd applauds Sultan Mandash as he leaves the pitch. Abdullah Al-Hamdan steps in for Saudi Arabia.
- 67' A moment of madness from Nasser Al Dawsari on 67 minutes earns him a card. Saudi Arabia will be frustrated.
- 71' Time for substitution for Cape Verde Islands. Ryan Mendes is replaced by Garry Rodrigues.
- 76' It’s high time Bubista made some changes to put the his team’s game back to action.
- 81' Not even hints on scoring a goal over the last 81 minutes.
- 82' Saudi Arabia make a change. Nawaf Boushal trudges off to be replaced by Moteb Al Harbi on 82 minutes.
- 87' Saudi Arabia fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- 90' That looks like a foul for a card for Firas Al Brikan.
- The points are shared — Cape Verde Islands 0-0 Saudi Arabia. Honours even.
Lineups
Cape Verde Islands Lineups
4-1-2-3Starting XI
- 1
- 3
- 4
- 24
- 14
- 8
-
10
Jamiro Monteiro ↓ Laros Duarte 71'
- 6
- 19
-
20
Ryan Mendes ↓ Garry Rodrigues 71'
-
17
Willy Semedo ↓ Helio Varela 61'
Bench
- 23
- 12
- 5
- 22
- 25
- 2
-
15
Laros Duarte ↑ 71'
-
11
Garry Rodrigues ↑ 71'
- 16
-
26
Helio Varela ↑ 61'
- 7
-
21
Nuno Da Costa ↑ 61'
- 9
Coach
Bubista
Saudi Arabia Lineups
4-4-2Starting XI
- 21
- 12
- 4
-
5
Hassan Al Tambakti ↓ Ali Lajami 33'
-
13
Nawaf Boushal ↓ Moteb Al Harbi 82'
- 6
- 10
- 15
- 23
- 9
- 20
Bench
- 1
- 22
-
24
Moteb Al Harbi ↑ 82'
- 14
-
3
Ali Lajami ↑ 33'
- 2
- 25
- 18
- 16
-
7
Musab Al Juwayr ↑ 46'
-
26
Mohammed Abu Al Shamat ↑ 65'
- 8
- 17
-
19
Abdullah Al-Hamdan ↑ 66'
- 11
Coach
Giorgios Donis
H2H
Head to Head
Cape Verde Islands Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
0.71
Cape Verde Islands xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.3
Saudi Arabia xG
I would bet for:
Under 2.5 goals 91% + Under — clean sheet likely 85%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 1.01
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 61% |
|
39% |
| ± 1.5 | 28% |
|
72% |
| ± 2.5 | 9% |
|
91% |
| ± 3.5 | 3% |
|
97% |
| ± 4.5 | 1% |
|
99% |
Double Chance
Cape Verde Islands or Draw
84%
Draw or Saudi Arabia
58%
Cape Verde Islands or Saudi Arabia
58%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
0 – 0
Actual
1 – 0
24.1%
0 – 1
9%
1 – 1
8.9%
2 – 0
8.3%
2 – 1
3.2%
3 – 0
1.9%
0 – 2
1.3%
1 – 2
1.2%
3 – 1
0.8%
2 – 2
0.6%
4 – 0
0.4%
Asian Handicap — Cape Verde Islands
| Handicap | Cape Verde Islands covers | Push | Saudi Arabia covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 3% | — | 97% |
| -2 | 3% | 9% | 88% |
| -1.5 | 12% | — | 88% |
| -1 | 12% | 28% | 61% |
| -0.5 | 39% | — | 61% |
| +0.5 | 88% | — | 12% |
| +1 | 88% | 10% | 2% |
| +1.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
| +2 | 98% | 1% | 0% |
| +2.5 | 100% | — | 0% |
Clean Sheet
Cape Verde Islands keeps clean sheet
74%
✓
Saudi Arabia keeps clean sheet
50%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.