Cabo Verde, the African archipelago nation making history with maiden FIFA men’s World Cup qualification

What do a stadium, a petrol station, and a bakery have in common?

Perhaps not what you expect; they were the only locations residents could buy a ticket to watch Cabo Verde in their decisive FIFA men’s World Cup qualifier against Eswatini on Monday (13 October)

Only 8,000 seats were available at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, where a win would send the African archipelago to their maiden football finals. Such was the occasion, employees were allowed to leave their jobs early to catch the 15:00 local time kick-off.

After a goalless first half in the capital of Praia, Dailon Livramento pounced on a loose ball and ignited the game with the opening goal, shortly followed by another close-range finish from Willy Semedo to put them in cruise control.

By the time Stopira added a third goal in stoppage time, the Praia party was already well underway, as the Tubarões Azuis (‘Blue Sharks’) sealed a 3-0 win and a historic passage to the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

A nation of 520,000 people, 10 islands (nine of which are inhabited) and one nation, Cabo Verde will shine on the world stage in 2026.

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The rise of Cabo Verde to the summit of world football

Cabo Verde is the smallest nation by area (4,033 km2 ) to reach the men’s World Cup finals, while only Iceland have qualified for the global tournament with a smaller population.

Head coach Pedro Brito 'Bubista', previously the assistant coach on two occasions, has been in charge since 2020. His 25-man squad features footballers playing their trade in 14 foreign countries across the globe, from the United Arab Emirates to Ireland.

The Irish representative is Roberto Lopes ‘Pico’, who was born in Ireland to a Cabo Verdean father. He was approached by the national federation in 2019 on the job site LinkedIn to represent his paternal roots, an offer he did not even realise was real at first.

"I got a message from the then-coach Rui Águas, but he wrote to me in Portuguese,” Pico told BBC Sport Africa in 2021. “I just thought it was a spam message and I took no notice of it. And then about nine months later, he messaged me back, saying, 'Hi Roberto, have you had a chance to consider what I said to you?'

"I felt so rude for not having replied to him months earlier. I copied the message and put it into Google Translate.” That message was regarding the search for new national team players, an offer for the centre-back to become an international. “I was absolutely buzzing with that,” he said. “I was like, 'Yep, 100% I'd love to be a part of the squad'.”

Pico made his Cabo Verde debut at 27 years old, and a full 90 minutes in their decisive qualifying match with Eswatini was his 42nd cap. His journey is just one of many special stories in this squad, which has made revolutionary steps in their national sporting history.

Cabo Verde’s journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup

While they will be making their World Cup debut next year, the Blue Sharks have some status on their continent. They have competed in four of the last six Africa Cup of Nations finals, twice reaching the quarter-finals, including at last year’s AFCON. However, they did not qualify for the upcoming tournament in Morocco.

Cabo Verde were drawn into a qualification group with powerhouses Cameroon, who have played in more FIFA World Cups than any African nation. The island was ranked 66th in the world and 13th in Africa at the time of the draw.

Four points from their opening three games was a solid return, though one destined for a play-off spot rather than the top of Group D.

Their 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in June 2024 marked a turning point; days later, Bubista’s side picked up a first home win of the campaign against Libya, and by the time they hosted Cameroon this September, they had won four qualifiers on the bounce.

Cabo Verde picked up a fifth straight victory with a statement 1-0 triumph over the ‘Indomitable Lions’. The island nation had never before mustered more than four wins in a single campaign in their entire qualifying history, until now.

They came from 3-1 down to draw in their penultimate qualifier away to Libya, before sealing the deal on home soil in the capital. Eight wins from 10 to reach the World Cup, a phenomenal record, earning a deserved spot on the table of football’s crown jewel.

Cabo Verde are the 22nd team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the third debutants alongside Uzbekistan and Jordan. The tournament takes place from 11 June to 19 July 2026, where it will feature a record 48 teams – including the Blue Sharks.

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