Uruguay vs Cape Verde prediction 21.06.2026 | World Cup

Uruguay are a bit of an unusual team. They have stars, but they do not tend to play a possession style of football and are not great when they have to do so. We saw that in the Saudi Arabia game, where they completely dominated but still failed to win, with the game ending 1:1. Considering their last game will be against Spain, they are pretty much in a must-win position here because four points could be enough to advance in the knockout phase. 

After a 1:1 draw with Saudi Arabia, coach Marcelo Bielsa spoke to the media. He said they had to win the game and that he was very unhappy with the first half. The coach said the second half was much better, but not enough for a win. Bielsa concluded by saying that they need to improve their intensity from the start in the upcoming games. 

Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Ronald Araujo, who are dealing with calf injuries, are most likely not ready for the upcoming game. We believe Arrascaeta is particularly important for this game due to his creativity, and his (potential) absence would be a massive blow, as it would make it much more challenging to break through Cape Verde's defense.

Cape Verde just secured a point against one of the main title contenders, Spain. Even though they were considered one of the weakest teams in the World Cup, one win in their remaining two games could put them in a position to advance. That is definitely something not many people expected. However, we could see that they are not a bad team in their friendlies, as they drew with Iran, Egypt, and Finland, and won 3:0 against Serbia. They could be a lot better than the bookies and some football pundits suggest. 

After a goalless draw with Spain, coach Bubista spoke to the media. He praised the team's defensive organization, saying they executed the plan perfectly. The coach said they need to shift their focus to Uruguay and noted that the result against Spain matters if they stay competitive in the upcoming games. 

In the previous game against Spain, Jovane Cabral had to leave the field in the 61st minute due to an injury. There is no official update on the severity of the injury, and the 28-year-old is listed as questionable.