Former Vietnamese women's national team defender: 'Cape Verde is the World Cup's most intriguing wild card'

The seismic result of Cape Verde holding Spain to a goalless stalemate has made the group stage fiercely unpredictable. Bùi Thị Như, ex-defender of the Vietnam women's national team and Phong Phú Hà Nam, believes the 2026 World Cup's expansion to 48 teams is precisely what enables such underdog stories to unfold.

Bùi Thị Như shared: "The 2026 World Cup is witnessing a significant narrowing of the gap between footballing nations. Cape Verde fields a squad largely made up of players from Portugal's second division, yet they defiantly held a global powerhouse like Spain to a draw. A tiny nation with a population of just over 500,000 is now competing on equal terms at the biggest football festival on Earth.

If they manage to pick up any points—even just a draw against Uruguay in their second match—Cape Verde will truly become the most captivating splash in football history. This is not merely a sports story; it's the most effective way to promote a country's image worldwide. In fact, many fans, including myself, only really learned about Cape Verde after their impressive performances, from the African qualifiers to this tournament."

Assessing the blockbuster clash between Argentina and Austria, the former steel-hearted defender of Vietnam's women's team predicted that Lionel Messi and his teammates will face an extremely tight defensive system: "Austria plays a very clear, disciplined high-pressing style and is not afraid of physical contact. They will certainly build a dense defensive line in the midfield area to block all space for play and cut off passes heading toward Lionel Messi. It will be very difficult for Messi to freely turn, dribble, or create chances in this match.

Even so, the number 10 superstar remains the unique difference-maker in world football. I think Argentina has enough composure and experience to deploy diverse attacking options to break down the opponent's plans.

In this match, Messi might drop deep as a decoy, actively pulling the opposing defense out of shape to create space for his teammates to break forward and shoot from distance. I lean toward an Argentina victory, though they may have to endure tough moments—even falling behind first, given Austria's sharp counter-attacks."

In another development, former international Bùi Thị Như believes France will be the next big team to book their place in the knockout stage if they secure a convincing win over Iraq: "To me, France is superior in every aspect and will achieve a comfortable victory against Iraq. 'Les Bleus' remain top contenders for the title thanks to a squad of high-quality players who are at the peak of their careers.

In particular, the number one star Kylian Mbappé is full of desire to prove himself. After a pressure-filled season at Real Madrid, the national team jersey is his anchor to reaffirm his class and aim for the Ballon d'Or in his career.

Against a much weaker opponent like Iraq, securing all three points to advance early is well within the reach of Didier Deschamps' squad."