Cape Verde is an island country located in West Africa that holds a population of just over 500,000. The country has only been a member of FIFA since 1986, but has not seen much success in that span. That is, until the team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Oct. 13, 2025, following their 3-0 win over Eswatini.
The tiny nation claimed one of the nine spots that were available in the tournament for the continent of Africa. In the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Cape Verde won or drew most of their matches, having just one loss in all qualifying matches that they played.
The country was a part of CAF Group D, which contained Libya, Eswatini, Cameroon, Angola and Mauritius. Cape Verde emerged at the top of the standings, with a record of seven wins, two draws and one loss. Their 3-0 win over Eswatini was the icing on the cake that sent the team to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time ever.
As the country celebrates its 50th year of independence, the importance of this event can’t be understated. Fans erupted once the game officially concluded and many have said that it is the biggest thing to happen to the country since its independence in 1975.
Regardless of how far the team makes it in the tournament, simply qualifying has brought immense joy and pride to the country. The nation’s miraculous journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is historic, as they are the smallest country by population to reach the tournament since Iceland in 2018. The country will hope to continue making history, as it prepares for its first-ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup this summer.