Cape Verde created history on October 13 after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in the United States (US), Mexico, and Canada. They advanced to the tournament after beating Eswatini by 3-0 in African qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The Africa nation grabbed one of the nine automatic spots for the continent and became the second smallest country (by population) to break into the illustrious tournament following Iceland in 2018. In the 48th minute, Daikon Livramento scored for Cape Verde and the momentum was taken ahead by Willy Semedo.
Stopira’s goal, in stoppage time, also sealed the home win and top place in Group D. With the referee’s final whistle, the historic moment emerged for Cape Verde as they won the game by 3-0 and qualified
for the marquee tournament. On Cape Verde’s massive achievement, FIFA president Gianni Infantino released a video message and remarked, “Your flag will fly and your anthem will be heard at the greatest FIFA World Cup ever. Your work on football development in recent years has been incredible and this is a moment where your stars will become global and power a new generation of football lovers across Cape Verde.”
Cape Verde’s journey in the qualifying round
Cape Verde’s campaign faced a jolt after they missed the chance to reach the World Cup on October 7, after their stalemate with Libya by 3-3. Earlier, last month, they beat Cameroon by 1-0 which emboldened their confidence. When they got a chance against Eswatini in Praia, they stood tall and broke into record books.
They have become the sixth African team to punch their tickets for next year's finals. When Cape Verde registered the historic triumph, their President Jose Maria Neves was among the spectators in the stands.
