The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. People from all around the globe come together to watch 48 nations compete for soccer’s ultimate prize. The tournament brings the sport’s heavyweights together with countries that have populations of fewer than a million people. Although World Cup upsets are rare, a tournament like the World Cup gives even the biggest underdog the chance to prove that anything is possible on the pitch.

In 2022, Lionel Messi and Argentina lost their opening match to Saudi Arabia in one of the craziest upsets in World Cup history. Argentina went on to win the tournament, making Saudi Arabia’s victory even more remarkable. That win now lives on as one of the greatest moments in Saudi Arabian soccer history.

Cabo Verde The Worlds newest Cinderella story.

Spain entered the 2026 edition of the tournament as one of the favorites with a lot of money placed on their success. Spains first match was against the small nation of Cabo Verde who traveled to North America for their first ever World Cup appearance.

Cabo Verde is a small island located  about 350 miles off the coast of Africa, with around 490,000 people. Their qualification made them one of the least populated countries to ever clinch a World Cup berth. 

The Spanish side is ranked 3rd in the FIFA rankings, while Cabo Verde is all the way down at 64th. Spain entered the game at -1450 odds to win the game. Spain was seen as a lock to net three points in their contest against the World Cup debutant.

However The Cabo Verden goalkeeper, Josimar Diaz, commonly known as Vozinha, a childhood nickname meaning Granny had other ideas. He and his team refused to give in despite the odds being stacked against them. from the start. Spain dominated the match . They had 23 shots on target to Cabo Verde’s six, with eight on target to Cabo Verde’s one. Spain possessed the ball for 74% of the game.

Regardless of the barrage of shots sent in by the Spanish, and their hold on the ball for the majority of the game, Diaz kept his team afloat to earn them their first ever World Cup point in their draw against the Spaniards. 

For Diaz, this is the realization of a lifelong dream. At 40 years old, the tournament’s oldest player has cemented his place in World Cup history.

Diaz didn’t turn professional until his early 20s and entered the tournament as a relatively unknown goalkeeper outside of Cabo Verde. But his remarkable performances on the world’s biggest stage has transformed him into one of the breakout stars of the 2026 World Cup.

He began the tournament with fewer than 50,000 Instagram followers. Today, that number has skyrocketed to more than 13.7 million and continues to climb.

It’s a powerful reminder that one unforgettable World Cup can change the trajectory of a player’s life forever.

Diaz was understandably overcome with emotion when the final whistle blew.

We’ve worked for this moment, for a night like this,” he told reporters after the match. “I’m 40 years old; as everyone knows, I turned professional back in 2012. That’s quite late for someone like me. I thought about quitting the national team, but I kept going because of this dream

The Run Continues

After a strong result against a top soccer nation, the team was not done shocking the world.

In their second group stage match, Cabo Verde faced another soccer powerhouse in Uruguay, another opponent they were heavily projected to lose to. Uruguay controlled possession throughout the match, but Cabo Verde actually recorded more shots on target than FIFA’s 18th ranked nation.

Once again, Cabo Verde defied the odds. The underdogs battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw, earning another valuable point against a nation widely expected to finish at least second in the group.

When the groups were drawn and the schedule was finalized, few expected Cabo Verde to still be alive at this stage of the tournament. Yet, entering Matchday 3, the World Cup debutants have a chance to win a group that includes two international heavyweights.

There are several paths to qualification for the small island nation. If they draw against 59th ranked Saudi Arabia, they will just need a Spain victory over Uruguay to take second in the group. They also have an outside chance at winning the group. If Uruguay can come up with an upset against the Spanish, and Cabo Verde nets three points against a weak Saudi side, they can top the group.

Cabo Verde was 25-1 to win their group entering the tournament. The fact that they are even in the conversation to top the group prior to matchday three is already a remarkable achievement for a tiny nation making their World Cup debut, in a group with two former World Cup winners.

Their Cinderella story isn’t over yet. Their next match is tonight, June 26, against Saudi Arabia. With a place in the knockout rounds still on the line, Cabo Verde has another opportunity to shock the world. They have already proven they can go toe to toe with some of soccer’s greatest nations. No matter what happens next, their inspirational run will be remembered as proof that no matter the odds, your story is never written in stone.