History has been made in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers as the island nation of Cape Verde secured their place at the finals, becoming the second-smallest nation by population ever to achieve the feat. The monumental Cape Verde World Cup Qualification was sealed with a commanding victory over Eswatini, booking their ticket to the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The Blue Sharks secured their spot in sensational fashion, defeating Eswatini 3-0 at home. More impressively, the win guaranteed them the top spot in their difficult qualifying group, triumphing over continental heavyweights, including Cameroon.
Center-back Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes noted that the new qualification structure, which grants nine guaranteed spots to Africa, provided crucial motivation. “The motivation to be first and hold on to that has been crucial,” he said.
The archipelago nation, which gained independence from Portugal in 1975, has a population of under 525,000 people. This low figure places them second only to Iceland (who qualified for the 2018 World Cup) as the smallest nation ever to reach the marquee multi-national tournament.
This achievement marks a new pinnacle for the football program, which previously reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013. The significance of the Cape Verde World Cup Qualification was underlined by the attendance of President Jose Maria Neves, who watched his national team overcome a nervy opening period to secure the 3-0 win.
The success story of Cape Verde serves as a powerful inspiration, demonstrating that ambition and team spirit can overcome geographic and demographic limitations on the global stage.
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