A little over half a million people live in Cape Verde, and all of them loudly cheered as their national team qualified for the 2026 World Cup. As impressive as the achievement was, some were quick to disregard the island nation, expecting it to fall at the first hurdle and go home having been defeated by the football giants with whom they shared the group. The thing about “the beautiful game” is that it is rarely ever predictable.
As part of Group H, Cape Verde started the tournament by playing against Spain, one of the favourites for the main trophy. In the eyes of many, it was set to be a rather boring game, sure to be dominated by the Spaniards. When the first whistle sounded off, the favourites attacked… Only to achieve nothing again and again and again. They dominated in terms of possession, but it meant little when they were unable to score. Every good chance was either wasted or defended by the man of the match, the team’s goalkeeper, Vozinha.
The game ended in a goalless draw that left both teams with one point added to their tournament total. After a few days of rest, Cape Verde was ready to face their next opponent, the two-time World Cup winners, Uruguay. Unlike in their meeting against Spain, there were goals scored during the match. Once again, however, the final result was a draw.
Instead of, like Tunisia or Haiti, being eliminated after the first two matchdays, Cape Verde found itself in an incredibly promising position. Many possible scenarios included them moving through to the knockout phase, with one even placing them as the possible leaders of Group H. Everything hinged on the last game: a match against Saudi Arabia.
Since Cape Verde had previously drawn with two teams considered to be much more dangerous than Saudi Arabia, the general consensus coming into the game was that they could beat them, thus finishing the group stage with five points. While this did not end up coming to fruition, the scenario that did unfold was still good enough for the players.
After a goalless draw, Cape Verde sat at three points. While this could not have been enough had they found themselves in the third spot of Group H, it was all they needed to finish second, right behind Spain. Since Uruguay drew their first two games and lost the last one, they only totalled two points: not enough to be second in the group and not enough to qualify from the third position. Thus, as they grappled with the sudden end of their World Cup dreams, Cape Verde celebrated becoming the smallest nation to ever reach its knockout stage.
Cape Verde has already managed to achieve the seemingly impossible. No matter what happens as they progress through the tournament, they will be able to come home proud of what they have achieved. Their unprecedented success is sure to breathe new hope into the lungs of all teams who felt like there was nothing for them to achieve at the world stage.
What is it, however, that awaits them? The best word to describe it is a challenge. On July 4th, they will face the reigning champions, Argentina, in the round of 32. Given the status of the team, as well as their performance in the tournament, Cape Verde is a definite underdog, although it does not mean that their situation is hopeless. If there is one thing they have proven time and again, it is that they should not be disregarded.
Ever since their first match, Cape Verde has won the hearts of many. Having provided the fans with the perfect underdog story, they made sure that their World Cup debut will not be forgotten.
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