Egypt vs Cape Verde Prediction 17.11.2025 | Friendlies

After missing the most recent World Cup, Egypt wasted no time returning to where they belong, dominating this qualification cycle with eight wins and two draws to secure a direct ticket to the tournament.

With their spot at the 2026 World Cup already confirmed, the Pharaohs now turn their focus to the FIFA Arab Cup, set to kick off in early December. However, their preparations got off to a rocky start as they were comprehensively defeated 2-0 by Uzbekistan.

Before this setback, Egypt had ridden an impressive wave of form, going eight matches unbeaten—winning seven of them without conceding a single goal. They will be eager to get back on track quickly to enter December’s challenges in good spirits.

Having missed the first November friendly, Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush is now expected to start and lead the line alongside Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.

Certainly, the Cape Verdean national team has emerged as the biggest surprise of the African World Cup Qualifiers, demonstrating remarkable fighting spirit that ultimately earned them the top spot in Group D and a historic qualification for the global stage.

Following a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign, few could have predicted that the Blue Sharks would perform so impressively in the qualifiers, amassing an outstanding 23 points from 10 matches—four more than second-placed Cameroon.

Cape Verde’s unbeaten streak across all formats extended to 10 games, highlighted by a goalless draw in their November friendly against Iran, although they were eventually defeated in the subsequent penalty shootout.

With his squad remaining injury-free from the last match, manager Bubista is expected to field a similar starting XI to the one deployed against Iran, aiming to prepare his team as effectively as possible ahead of the World Cup.