Cape Verde have officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup, becoming the second-smallest nation ever to punch their ticket into the iconic quadrennial tournament.
The African nation, which has a population of just 524,000, beat Eswatini 3-0 on Monday to seal their progression to the finals next summer, which will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In one of the most incredible stories of World Cup qualifying, the tiny island nation, which is off the west coast of Africa, confirmed their progression to next summer’s tournament with a 3-0 victory over Eswatini.
Managed by Pedro Leitão Brito, known as Bubista, Cape Verde’s match was watched by almost the entire nation; the national government allowed all workers a half-day, meaning they could pack into the stadium, and crowd around televisions, to watch on and cheer their team.
Following their victory, they subsequently become the second-smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup. Iceland remain the smallest after playing at the 2018 tournament, failing to progress from the group stage.
Goals from Dailon Rocha Livramento and Willy Semedo had Cape Verdeans dancing in the stands, before Stopira added a third in injury time to seal a joyous victory, with the president in attendance.
Cape Verde, known as the Blue Sharks, sit 70th in the current FIFA world rankings, notably behind the likes of Burkina Faso, the United Arab Emirates, Albania, and North Macedonia.
However, they will play at the World Cup for the first time in their history. They have finished top of Group D in African qualifying, finishing four points ahead of regular continental heavyweights Cameroon, who simultaneously drew 0-0 with Angola on Monday.
