Cape Verde defender Sidny Lopes Cabral’s spectacular effort against Argentina has been named the 2026 World Cup goal of the tournament.
The 23-year-old is the first player from an African nation to win the award.
With Cape Verde 2-1 down in extra-time in their last-32 game against 2022 champions Argentina, Cabral, pushing high from his left-back position, received the ball on the left side of the opposing penalty area. He skipped past Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and curled a right-footed strike from the left edge of the box into the top right corner, past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
A moment he will never forget 🙌
Sidny Cabral allowed Cape Verde to produce another comeback against Argentina in extra time. pic.twitter.com/1DBHW58PxY
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 4, 2026
Cape Verde ended up being eliminated after an own-goal by midfielder Diney in the 111th minute, though it was still a run to remember for the nation in their debut World Cup appearance.
“The moment I dribbled past my opponent, I saw an opening and thought, ‘Let’s have a go’,” Cabral said. “I shoot well with both feet. I saw the space and was eyeing the top corner. I aimed there and struck the ball really well.
“When I looked up and saw it heading for that top corner, I thought, ‘What the hell did I just do?’ I couldn’t believe it. I looked at my team-mates — everyone was screaming, hands on their heads, overjoyed.
“I started running without thinking. Then it hit me that I’d scored a spectacular goal in the World Cup. Everybody dreams of just scoring in the World Cup, but to score in this way, at such a big stage against such a big team, was amazing. I was really happy.”
Cabral celebrated with his hands on his head in disbelief as he was mobbed by his team-mates, before running over to his girlfriend and mother in the stands.
“When I got there, I saw my mom crying; she hadn’t even realized I was right there,” he said. “Everyone was busy tending to her because she had fainted when I scored!”
Cabral added that he received a message after the game from Brazil and Real Madrid legend Marcelo, who said that he voted for the strike as goal of the tournament.
Born in the Netherlands to parents from Cape Verde, Cabral spent time in the academies of Dutch sides Feyenoord and Twente as well as Swedish club Helsingborg before signing for Rot-Weiss Erfurt in the German fifth tier in 2022.
He has enjoyed a rapid rise since, making his Cape Verde debut the following year and signing for Portuguese top-flight club Estrela da Amadora in 2025. He joined Benfica in January, where he made 12 appearances, before moving to Turkish club Trabzonspor prior to the World Cup in June.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison won the goal of the tournament for an overhead kick against Serbia in 2022. The other previous winners of the award, which was created in 2006, are Argentina’s Maxi Rodriguez (2006), Uruguay’s Diego Forlan (2010), Colombia’s James Rodriguez (2014) and France’s Benjamin Pavard (2018).
