Debutant Cape Verdean Ukir History, Dembele Prints Hattrick at the 2026 World Cup
JAKARTA - The debutant of Cape Verde made history by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup 32-team round. Meanwhile, France striker Ousmane Dembele scored his third hat-trick of the tournament in the 16th round of matches on Saturday (27/6) WIB.
Based on the FIFA website, Sunday, Cape Verde secured a ticket to the knockout phase after drawing 0-0 against Saudi Arabia in the last Group H match at the Houston Stadium, United States.
The result brought Tanjung Verde to finish in second place in Group H standings with three points from three matches. They accompanied Spain who came out as group champions with seven points after defeating Uruguay 1-0.
The defeat means Uruguay and Saudi Arabia must end their World Cup 2026 journeys.
From Group I, France closed the group stage with a convincing 4-1 win over Norway at the Boston Stadium. Three goals for Les Bleus were scored by Ousmane Dembele, while another goal was contributed by Desire Doue. Norway was only able to respond through Thelonious Aasgaard.
Dembele's hat-trick was the third in this tournament after Lionel Messi scored three goals when Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 and Jonathan David led Canada to a 6-0 win over Qatar.
France ended the group stage as Group I champions with a perfect nine points. Norway followed in second place with six points, while Senegal, who ranked third, also kept their chances of qualifying after silencing Iraq 5-0.
In Group G, Belgium locked the top spot after defeating New Zealand 5-1. Leandro Trossard scored two goals, while the other three goals were contributed by Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Saelemaekers. New Zealand narrowed the gap through Elijah Just.
Belgium and Egypt both collected five points, but Belgium had a goal difference. Egypt secured a place in the last 32 after drawing 1-1 against Iran. Egypt's goal was scored by Mahmoud Saber, while Iran responded through Ramin Semeskandi.
Iran, who ended the group stage in third place with three points, is still waiting for the opportunity to qualify through the best third-ranked team.