cape Verde Makes World Cup History with Frist-Ever Qualification
Cape Town - Cape Verde has secured a historic berth in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the sixth African nation to qualify for the expanded tournament. The island nation clinched its spot following a decisive 3-0 victory over Eswatini on Matchday 10 of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Africa zone, fueled by goals from dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo, and Stopira in the second half.
This qualification marks a monumental achievement for the Republic of Cabo Verde, a nation with a population of approximately 525,000, making it the second-smallest country ever to reach the World Cup finals – trailing only Iceland, which qualified in 2018 with a population of around 350,000. Cape Verde finished atop Group D with 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who drew 0-0 with Angola.
The team’s journey wasn’t without challenges, including a 4-1 loss to Cameroon on matchday three, their only defeat in the qualifying campaign. Cameroon afterward endured a series of draws before falling to Cape Verde 1-0 last month.
Cape Verde joins Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ghana, and Algeria as African representatives in the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the united states, Canada, and Mexico.They are the third debutant team to qualify, alongside Uzbekistan and Jordan, bringing the total number of qualified nations to 22.
remarkably, Cape Verde achieved this milestone with a squad largely comprised of players from leagues outside of Europe’s top five. Only one player, Logan Costa of Villarreal in LaLiga, currently plays in a major European league. The remainder compete in Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Leading the charge for Cape Verde is captain Ryan Mendes, the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 21 goals in 85 appearances. The squad also includes Bebe, a former Manchester United striker who now plays for Ibiza, a club in the Spanish Third Division.
Cameroon, finishing as group runners-up, will now await the playoff draw to determine if they will also advance to the tournament.