Cape Verde Islands vs Saudi Arabia preview

2026 World Cup, World
Houston Stadium Tomorrow - 12:00 AM
World Cup
Cape Verde Islands CPV
Saudi Arabia KSA
KICKOFF : Tomorrow - 12:00 AM
Round 3 Group Stage

CONTEXT

Cape Verde Islands prepare to host Saudi Arabia during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup at Houston Stadium. The home side enters with a clear power advantage of 11.1 points and occupies third place in domestic rankings. Saudi Arabia sits one spot lower in fourth. Metrics indicate Cape Verde Islands possess stronger overall capabilities while the visitors trail in several key indicators. Both teams operate under domestic cup rules for this encounter in the season ahead. Venue conditions in Houston could influence proceedings as the sides look to secure early points. League standings suggest a competitive matchup despite the power differential highlighted in pre-match evaluations.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Cape Verde Islands hold a power score of 22.22 compared to Saudi Arabia's 11.11.
  • Form: Cape Verde Islands post a form score of 16.67 while Saudi Arabia register 5.5.
  • Squad: Both squads arrive without reported absences ahead of the group stage fixture.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency data remains unavailable for either side in this matchup.
  • Transition: Transition metrics show no recorded details for the participating teams.
  • Set pieces: Set piece statistics carry low confidence with proxy data in use.
  • xVariable: xVariable elements reflect limited availability due to absent xG inputs.
  • Market: Cape Verde Islands 35.8% (Δ-0.5%) | Draw 28.8% (Δ+0%) | Saudi Arabia 35.4% (Δ+0.5%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Cape Verde Islands P. Leitão Brito
P. Leitão Brito
VS
Saudi Arabia G. Donis
G. Donis
1
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
0.5
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
Uruguay Rank: D
Spain Rank: D
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
0.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
Spain Rank: L
Uruguay Rank: D
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Cape Verde Islands
35.82%
Draw
28.76%
Away Saudi Arabia
35.42%

Movement

Changes since opening
Cape Verde Islands
-0.54%
Draw
0%
Saudi Arabia
+0.54%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power score: composite of opponent-weighted form (last 6 & 20 games) and league position over last 3 seasons.
22.22
11.11
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Cape Verde Islands
Saudi Arabia
Power Score
22.22
11.11
League Position
3
4
Global Rank
-
61

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Cape Verde Islands — Opponent-weighted form score
Saudi Arabia — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Cape Verde Islands Saudi Arabia

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 0 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Cape Verde Islands CPV Home
0 matches
Saudi Arabia KSA Away
Match Record
0
Wins
0
0
Draws
0
0
Losses
0
Goals
0
Goals Scored
0
0
Goals Conceded
0
0
Goal Difference
0
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-06-26T00:01:44+00:00

STARTING XI

Match Formation 4-1-4-1
Match Formation 5-4-1
Pitch
J. Évora Dias
Cape Verde
1 J. Évora Dias
S. Moreira
Cape Verde
22 S. Moreira
R. Lopes
Cape Verde
4 R. Lopes
E. Monteiro Sanches Borges
Cape Verde
3 E. Monteiro Sanches Borges
J. Moreira Fernandes
Cape Verde
8 J. Moreira Fernandes
K. Gonçalves Pereira de Pina
Cape Verde
6 K. Gonçalves Pereira de Pina
D. Duarte
Cape Verde
14 D. Duarte
R. Mendes da Graça
Cape Verde
20 R. Mendes da Graça
J. Monteiro Alvarenga
Cape Verde
10 J. Monteiro Alvarenga
G. Mendes Rodrigues
Cape Verde
11 G. Mendes Rodrigues
G. Benchimol Tavares
Cape Verde
9 G. Benchimol Tavares
M. Al Owais
Saudi Arabia
21 M. Al Owais
Moteb Al-Harbi
Saudi Arabia
24 Moteb Al-Harbi
S. Abdul Hamid
Saudi Arabia
12 S. Abdul Hamid
H. Al Tambakti
Saudi Arabia
5 H. Al Tambakti
A. Lajami
Saudi Arabia
3 A. Lajami
A. Al Amri
Saudi Arabia
4 A. Al Amri
S. Al Dawsari
Saudi Arabia
10 S. Al Dawsari
N. Al Dawsari
Saudi Arabia
6 N. Al Dawsari
M. Kanno
Saudi Arabia
23 M. Kanno
M. Al Shamat
Saudi Arabia
26 M. Al Shamat
F. Albirakan
Saudi Arabia
9 F. Albirakan

General Information

Date & Time
Jun 27, 2026, 12:00 AM
Competition
2026 World Cup, World · Round 3 · Group Stage
Stadium
Houston Stadium
Capacity
68777
Pitch Surface
Artificial turf
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
François Letexier
Cyril Mugnier
Mehdi Rahmouni
Abongile Tom

Lineup

Referee : François Letexier

Starting XI ▼

1
Vozinha
Vozinha Goalkeeper
7.43
3
Diney Borges
Diney Borges Defender
7.27
4
Roberto Lopes
Roberto Lopes Defender
7.27
8
João Paulo
João Paulo Defender
6.78
22
Steven Moreira
Steven Moreira Defender
6.69
6
Kevin Lenini
Kevin Lenini Midfielder
6.81
10
Jamiro Monteiro
Jamiro Monteiro Midfielder
6.76
14
Deroy Duarte
Deroy Duarte Midfielder
6.76
9
Benchimol
Benchimol Attacker
6.42
11
Garry Rodrigues
Garry Rodrigues Attacker
6.33
20
Ryan Mendes
Ryan Mendes Attacker
6.74
Referee : François Letexier

Starting XI ▼

21
Mohammed Al-Owais
Mohammed Al-Owais Goalkeeper
7.15
3
Ali bin Mohammed bin Ali Lajami
Ali bin Mohammed bin Ali Lajami Defender
6.51
4
Abdulelah Al-Amri
Abdulelah Al-Amri Defender
6.74
5
Hassan Tambakti
Hassan Tambakti Defender
6.14
12
Saud Abdulhamid
Saud Abdulhamid Defender
6.48
24
Moteb Al-Harbi
Moteb Al-Harbi Defender
6.35
6
Nasser Al-Dawsari
Nasser Al-Dawsari Midfielder
6.64
10
Salem Al-Dawsari
Salem Al-Dawsari Midfielder
6.42
23
Mohamed Kanno
Mohamed Kanno Midfielder
6.81
26
Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat
Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat Midfielder
6.59
9
Firas Al-Buraikan
Firas Al-Buraikan Attacker
6.56

CONCLUSION

Overall, the structural indicators point toward Cape Verde Islands holding the stronger pre-match profile. Power rankings give Cape Verde Islands a 11.1-point edge. External projection is Cape Verde Islands 35.9%, draw 28.1%, and Saudi Arabia 36%. That projection profile diverges from the structural signals, so execution is likely to decide the result. The balance of play should hinge on execution in transitions and set-piece phases.