Cape Verde, a nation populated with just over half a million people, has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history.
Until now, Cape Verde’s national team was not seen as a worthy contender. The team had never qualified for the World Cup and failed to make it to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from 1986, when the country played its first international football matches, to 2012.
After years of disappointments, hope finally arrived in 2013 when Cape Verde qualified for the AFCON for the first time, drawn into a group with host nation South Africa. Cape Verde finished in second place with five points after a last-minute goal against Angola by Héldon Ramos, which sent them to the knockout stage.
While they lost 2-0 to Ghana in the knockout stage, hope was in the air as a bright future lay ahead.
In the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, Cape Verde played Tunisia in a must-win match. Cape Verde won the match 2-0, but the result was reversed in favor of Tunisia because Cape Verde put a suspended player on the pitch. The heartbreak of Tunisia’s 2014 win lingered, and after another unsuccessful attempt to reach the 2018 World Cup, Cape Verde had to regroup and plan for the 2022 qualifiers.
In the 2022 qualifiers, Cape Verde was paired with Nigeria, Liberia, and the Central African Republic. They got off to a weak start, starting their first two games with just one point, but after back to back games with last minute goals from wingers Garry Rodrigues and Ryan Mendes, Cape Verde ended up facing Nigeria in the final match of the qualifiers. Nigeria only needed a draw, while Cape Verde had to win. The match ended 1-1, allowing Nigeria to top the group, eliminating Cape Verde.
In the 2023 AFCON, Cape Verde was predicted to finish last in their group after getting put with Ghana, Egypt, and Mozambique. Many questioned whether they would win a single game. However, Cape Verde shocked all of Africa by not only qualifying for the knockout stage, but by winning their group and going undefeated.
Cape Verde eventually won their round of 16 match by defeating Mauritania before losing to South Africa in an intense penalty shootout. Despite the loss, this tournament marked a huge step for the country, as it was the best result in a major tournament by the team.
Buoyed by their impressive performance in the 2023 AFCON, the nation wondered if this could finally be the year Cape Verde would reach the World Cup. With FIFA expanding the 2026 tournament from 32 to 48 teams, the timing could not have been better for smaller nations like Cape Verde. Cape Verde was paired with Cameroon, Libya, Angola, Mauritius, and Eswatini in their Qualification Group.
Since this was round one of the qualifying stage, Cape Verde needed to finish in first place to qualify for the tournament. Their first three matches included a 0-0 draw to Angola, a 2-0 win vs Eswatini, and a 4-1 loss to Cameroon. But after the bad loss to Cameroon, something changed. With strong performances from key players such as Mendes, Bebé, Rodrigues, and Pico Lopes, led by manager Pedro Leitão Brito, known as Bubista, Cape Verde cruised to a four-game winning streak. In all four games, they outscored their opponents with seven goals and allowed one.
A country of just 500,000 people was making magic, but the job wasn’t finished. After a 3-3 draw to Libya, they needed to win at least one of their final two games to officially qualify.
On Oct. 13, Cape Verde finally qualified for their first-ever World Cup after beating Eswatini 3-0, with goals coming from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo, and Stopira.
Mendes, who also serves as the captain, was gripped with emotion. “We want to live our story and write it ourselves,” he said in an interview with Yahoo. “I hope it will be even better than our qualification.”
They join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Ghana, which have already qualified.
After many years of near misses, controversies, and heartbreak, the country’s dream became reality. A tiny island that once struggled to qualify for any tournament will now be playing on football’s biggest stage in 2026, proving that with years of perseverance and teamwork, even the smallest nations can dream big and achieve greatness.
