World Cup 2026 Day 11: Group H Recap

Group H suited up for its second Matchday of the 2026 World Cup. Saudi Arabia and Spain clashed to begin the day, and Uruguay took on Cape Verde in the evening. 

Spain took it to Saudi Arabia in the early minutes of the first half and kept adding the heat. Cape Verde made history yet again with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay. 

General view inside the stadium before the match

Siphiwe Sibeko

World Cup Group H - Matchday 2

Spain 4 - 0 Saudi Arabia 

After a shocking 0-0 result against Cape Verde last Monday, Spain got back on track with a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. 

Lamine Yamal was in the starting XI this time around. The Spaniards came out aggressively, and it paid off quickly. Yamal opened the scoring in the 10' after finishing a cross from Mikel Oyarzabal. After a disappointing opener, Yamal calmed the nerves of an entire nation.

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal scores their second goal

Siphiwe Sibeko

Oyarzabal doubled the lead for Spain in the 21' and then tripled it in the 24'. The third goal effectively put this match away. 

Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring their first goal

Claudia Greco

Saudi Arabia scored an own-goal in the 49', which added more insult to injury. Spain had 67% possession at the end of the match compared to just 33% for Saudi Arabia. The Spaniards controlled it all from start to finish and showed that the draw with Cape Verde was a fluke. They have arrived now and are playing like the contenders they are. 

Uruguay 2 - 2 Cape Verde 

Cape Verde has made World Cup history for the second straight match. They now have two points in the World Cup to their name, and two goals as well. 

General view inside the stadium of giant Uruguay and Cape Verde flags as the teams walk out onto the pitch before the match

Paul Childs

Kevin Pina put Cape Verde up 1-0 in the 21' from a set piece. Uruguay's defending for the set piece was questionable, allowing Pina to connect perfectly for a goal. 

Cape Verde was in control despite some big-time chances from Uruguay after taking the 1-0 lead. Cape Verde was holding strong until the 44' when Maxi Araújo brought the match level. Uruguay piled numbers forward into the box to generate chances for a potential cross. Manuel Ugarte had the vision for a cross and sent one into the box, which Araújo ended up finishing after a tricky sequence. 

Cape Verde's Kevin Pina celebrates scoring their first goal

Marco Bello

Uruguay took the lead in the 45+6' to complete a turnaround right before the half. Another cross from Ugarte connected with Araújo, whose header fell to the eventual scorer, Agustín Canobbio. Uruguay headed into halftime up 2-1 in a first half that nobody could have predicted. 

During the second half, it looked like Uruguay was going to walk out of Miami Stadium with three points. That was until Hélio Varela brought the match level for Cape Verde. Another defensive disaster from Uruguay allowed Varela to put the ball into a wide-open goal. 

Cape Verde's Vozinha and Diney Borges react after Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio scores their second goal

Marco Bello

Cape Verde continues to be the story of Group H. No countries from the group have been eliminated yet, putting everything up for grabs on the final Matchday on Friday. 

Day 11, Group H, Round-up:

Group H is back in action on Friday night at 8:00 EDT. Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia clash in Houston, and Uruguay and Spain go at it in Guadalajara. 

Day 12 sees Group J and K play their second matchday. The stars from Argentina, France, and Norway take the pitch yet again! Who will follow up their perfect starts to the tournament?

MORE: Philly Sport's Network's World Cup Coverage