World Cup Day 16: Cape Verde make history, Dembele delivers | OneFootball

The group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to a conclusion, with Cape Verde joining the best the teams in the world in the knockout phase. 

We’ve recapped all the happenings from Friday’s action, including what you may have missed overnight.

World Cup Day 16:

Cape Verde seal qualification

The story of the World Cup will continue into the round of 32 after Cape Verde drew with Saudi Arabia to finish second in Group H.

One of the so-called minnows of the tournament, the Blue Sharks are fully deserving of their automatic progression, having finished the group stage undefeated with three draws from three games.

They arguably should have beaten Uruguay last Sunday, and last night they had the chances to beat the Saudis, who have been brutal this summer.

Cape Verde, who are the first debutants to advance from the group stage since Slovakia in 2010, will now face reigning champions Argentina in Miami. It’s the stuff of dreams.

Read – The Brazilian players to score in the first three games of a World Cup

Dembele destroys weakened Norway side

France’s blockbuster clash with Norway turned out to be more of a B-movie after Stale Solbakken decided to make ten changes to his starting XI

Les Bleus, whose manager Didier Deschamps was absent following the death of his mother, chose to field the strongest possible lineup, creating a complete mismatch.

Ousmane Dembele took full advantage of Norway’s misshapen backline, scoring a hat-trick of golazos inside the opening 32 minutes.

The Vikings were still able to cause France problems at the back; Dayot Upamecano, for some unknown reason, completely abdicated his defensive duties to allow Thelo Aasgaard to score in the first half.

But without star players Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, they could land enough killer blows. Desire Doue put a bow on the scoreline with a goal deep into second-half stoppage time as France secured top spot in Group I.

Solbakken explained that he didn’t want his team to waste their energy on a game they were most likely going to lose anyway. It is, in fairness, completely reasonable to rest his most important players ahead of the biggest game in the nation’s history.

Norway will now face Ivory Coast in Arlington next Tuesday, which is definitely a winnable fixture, but it won’t be a walkover. France, meanwhile, will take on Sweden in New Jersey.

Read – Every player to win 100 caps for France as Mbappe reaches milestone

Senegal trounce Iraq

Senegal put on a five-star show in Toronto as they beat ten-man Iraq 5-0 to finish third in Group I, putting themselves in a strong position to qualify for the next round.

The Iraqis knew they were in for a long afternoon when Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Rebin Sulaka was sent off for DOGSO not long after.

Crystal Palace attacker Ismaila Sarr doubled their lead after the break, before Pape Gueye grabbed a brace of stunning goals after coming off the bench.

Senegal only needed four goals to ensure they ended with a positive goal difference, but Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye added another brilliant finish late on for good measure.

The result leaves Scotland’s hopes of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams hanging on by a thread.

Read – Sunderland striker Brobbey achieves rare World Cup feat

Spain send Uruguay packing

Spain head through to the knockouts on top of Group H after beating Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

It was far from an enthralling contest, with La Roja creating precious few chances against a side that couldn’t beat Saudi Arabia or Cape Verde.

They were gifted the only goal of the game when Alex Baena’s shot was feebly parried into the net by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. The 40-year-old, who has shown this summer that his best years are long behind him, was subbed off at halftime on his own request.

Uruguay, knowing they had no chance of beating Spain on the pitch, tried to kick them off it. Darwin Nunez looked like the light has vanished from his eyes, a sad sight for a player who seemed to play with such joy even on his worst days.

La Celeste head home with just two points from a group from which they should have advanced. Head coach Marcelo Bielsa was evidently frustrated after the final whistle, shouting at an interviewer to “get on with it”. He took the blame for their exit in the post-match press conference, telling reporters that he “leaves nothing” to the national team after three-and-a-half years in the job.

Read – The Cristiano Ronaldo Conundrum for Portugal

Iran denied victory over Egypt

Iran came incredibly close to beating Egypt in Seattle, but had to settle for a point following an entertaining 1-1 draw.

The Pharaohs scored their fastest ever goal at a World Cup when Mahmoud Saber squeaked the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper in the fifth minute.

Egypt were on the backfoot, though, as Iran were awarded a penalty shortly afterwards, but Mehdi Taremi saw his spot kick saved by Mostafa Shobeir.

Undeterred, Iran equalised in the 14th minute when Ramin Rezaeian dinked the ball in from a very tight angle after Shoberi saved Milad Mohammadi’s shot. It happened to also be the fastest goal the country have ever scored in the World Cup and made Rezaeian their all-time top goalscorer in the competition.

Mo Salah exited the pitch just before the hour mark and appeared to have an ice pack strapped to his left leg on the bench, raising doubts about his participation in the next round.

Iran pushed for a winner, with Taremi’s header coming off the post. They thought they had won it when Shobeir completely fumbled a punched clearance, allowing Shoja Khalilzadeh to turn it in. But they were cruelly denied by VAR after replays showed part of his boot was offside.

Saeid Ezatolahi hit the crossbar with a header, but ultimately they could not find a winner. They now face an anxious wait to see if three points and even goal difference will be enough to finish as one of the best third-placed teams.

Read – African players with most combined goals and assists in World Cup history

Belgium batter New Zealand

Belgium were the clear victors from their winner-takes-all match with New Zealand, winning 5-1 in Vancouver.

Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard scored either side of the half before Kevin De Bruyne added a third goal in the 66th minute.

In a manic three-minute period, Elijah Just got one back before Romelu Lukaku restored their three-goal lead, just a minute after coming off the bench.

Lukaku turned provider, setting up Alexis Saelemaekers to score with the last kick of the game. The emphatic result means Belgium qualify for the round of 32 as Group G winners ahead of Egypt on goal difference.

Read – How FIFA’s new World Cup format manufactures dead rubbers

See Also – The all-time leading World Cup goal scorers as Messi breaks record

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