‘Nothing is impossible’ – Cape Verde coach Bubista revels after historic World Cup progress

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Bubista proclaimed “nothing is impossible” after debutants Cape Verde secured qualification for the World Cup knockout stages.

The Blue Sharks sealed second place behind Spain in Group H, following a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia at Houston Stadium.

Cape Verde became the first World Cup debutants to advance from the group stage since Slovakia in 2010, and the first African nation to achieve the feat since Ghana four years earlier.

And they can now look forward to a momentous last-32 showdown with reigning champions Argentina.

“To us, nothing is impossible,” Bubista said. “From the very beginning, we’ve said that one of the purposes we had was to show our country to the rest of the world.

“To be able to play Argentina and [Lionel] Messi in a phase like this is excellent for our country, regardless of the match itself.”

Bubista’s side, who also drew 0-0 with Spain in their opener, went unbeaten in all three group games (D3), with Senegal the last first-timers to do that in 2002 (W1 D2).

“Honestly, it’s mad. I feel like I’m in a dream,” added midfielder Deroy Duarte. “First, let’s celebrate. We’re so happy. Let’s hope all Cape Verdeans are happy, too.

“It’s [a tough match] against Argentina, but let’s believe. Anything is possible.”

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 27, 2026

As for Saudi Arabia, they have now failed to progress from their group in each of their last six World Cup appearances.

The Green Falcons registered their first clean sheet at the finals since a 1-0 win over Belgium in 1994, ending a run of 18 matches without one, but the problems lay at the other end of the field.

Georgios Donis’ side attempted just 17 shots across their three matches and recorded an xG of 1.2, both their lowest tallies in a single edition of the tournament.

“We were very poor ​at creating actions. One cannot win ⁠a game this way,” the head coach said.

“Our line ​of attack was not doing well. ​Our greatest problem was creation and this was ‌self-evident.

“It ⁠was not what we wanted because, when playing in such a ​match against a team more ​or ⁠less the same level of us, our level was not good. This gives cause ⁠for ​concern.”

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