Cape Verde has qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history, becoming the sixth African country to secure a spot in next year’s tournament, which the United States, Mexico, and Canada will co-host from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

The West African side joins Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Ghana, who have already qualified for the tournament.

Cape Verde is one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of approximately 520,000 people as of 2024. They are now the second smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup, after Iceland reached the global showpiece in 2018.

The Blue Sharks booked their World Cup place ahead of Cameroon, beating eSwatini 3-0 on Monday to top Group D with 23 points from 10 matches. They recorded seven wins during the qualifying campaign, drew twice, and lost just once to Cameroon, a 4-1 defeat in June last year.

Victory for all Cape Verdean

The team’s head coach, Pedro ‘Bubisto’ Brito, said qualifying for the World Cup is a major milestone, especially as the country celebrates its 50th independence anniversary.

“Giving this happiness to these people is enormous… it’s a victory for all the Cape Verdean people,” he said.

“It’s a special moment in this celebration of the 50th anniversary of our independence. It’s a victory for all the Cape Verdean people and above all, a victory for those who fought for our independence.”

Their qualification for the global showpiece comes after failing to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will kick off in December. Despite that setback, Cape Verde has been on the rise since making their AFCON debut in 2013, when they reached the quarter-finals, a feat they repeated at the 2023 edition.

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