CAPE VERDE has etched its name in sports history by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in a remarkable manner.
The island nation stunned Eswatini with a decisive 3-0 victory in their concluding qualifier, hosted at the national stadium in Praia, the capital.
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Credit: Cristiano Barbosa/Sportsfile
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Credit: Cristiano Barbosa/Sportsfile
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Credit: Cristiano Barbosa/Sportsfile
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Credit: Cristiano Barbosa/Sportsfile
With halftime approaching, anxiety surged among the home supporters as the score remained tied, but everything changed just three minutes after the resumption.
Dailon Livramento struck the crucial opening goal, igniting Cape Verde’s dream of participating in the World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Willy Semedo and Stopira then added to the score, sealing Cape Verde’s ticket to the tournament.
Celebrations erupted throughout the nation as Bubista’s team eliminated African heavyweights Cameroon, relegating them to the playoff round.
This places additional pressure on Manchester United players Bryan Mbeumo and Andre Onana, who are currently loaned to Trabzonspor in their pursuit of World Cup qualification.
Cape Verde achieved seven wins from ten qualifiers, registering just one defeat against Cameroon.
By reaching this milestone, Cape Verde became the second least populated country to qualify for a World Cup.
With a population of 593,149, they now rank just behind Iceland, which brought a squad to Russia seven years prior with a population of 391,810.
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The island nation is also the smallest in terms of area to qualify for this prestigious tournament.
Covering merely 4,000 square kilometers across ten islands, Cape Verde surpasses Trinidad and Tobago, which measured 5,000 square kilometers when they qualified for the 2006 World Cup.
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If England secures a win against Latvia on Tuesday, they will join Cape Verde in the World Cup.
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