David GOMBE
Cape Verde have become the smallest African nation in history to qualify for the FIFA Men’s World Cup.
They are also the second-smallest nation in history to reach the World Cup after the islanders beat Eswatini 3-0 at home.
Victory meant the Blue Sharks secured top spot in their qualifying group and a place at the 2026 finals ahead of five time African champions Cameroon.
Dailon Livramento opened the scoring for the host in Praia, early in the second half before Willy Semedo volleyed in a second.
Veteran defender Stopira added the third in stoppage time before the full-time whistle sparked jubilation at the 15,000-capacity National Stadium.
Cape Verde, with a population of just under 525,000 according to the latest figures from the World Bank, gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and first attempted to reach the 2002 World Cup hosted in Japan and South Korea.
The team have punched above their weight in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals on debut in 2013 and again in 2023, and currently sit 70th in the world rankings.
Iceland, who featured at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is the only country with a smaller population to qualify for the global showpiece.
Last month’s 1-0 home win over Cameroon in the capital city put Cape Verde in pole position in Group D, knowing one victory from their remaining two games would book their place in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Islanders will now wait for the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC on 4 December and dream of taking on some of the globe’s top sides next year.
Cape Verde join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana in sealing an African qualifying spot for next year’s expanded showpiece with three more nations set to join them.
Cameroon finished four points behind Cape Verde in the Group D table after ending their campaign with an underwhelming 0-0 draw at home against Angola.
