Cabral wins the Golden Goal award at the World Cup

FIFA, the international governing body of football, has selected Cape Verde national team player Sidney Lopes Cabral’s goal against Argentina in the Round of 32 as the best goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

The goal came after Cabral skillfully dribbled past Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and curled a precise shot into the top corner of Emiliano Martinez’s net, equalizing the score at 2-2 in a match that Lionel Messi’s teammates ultimately won 3-2 after extra time.

FIFA announced the victory of this goal through a public vote on its official website, beating two other outstanding goals: Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov’s strike against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti’s Wilson Isidor’s goal against Morocco, which finished second and third, respectively.

The goal also outshone other notable efforts, including Kylian Mbappe’s goal against Senegal, Messi’s goal against Algeria, Julian Alvarez’s goal against Switzerland, and Spain’s Ferran Torres’ decisive strike in the final against Argentina.

Cape Verde made its World Cup debut and successfully advanced out of the group stage before being eliminated with a loss to the “Tango.”