Cape Verde has made history by qualifying for its first-ever FIFA World Cup after a resounding 3–0 victory over Eswatini on Monday.
The Blue Sharks sealed their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup—set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico—after an impressive qualifying campaign that saw them top Group D ahead of the Lions of Cameroon with 23 points from 10 matches. Cape Verde won seven games, drew two, and lost just once.
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Cape Verde could have secured qualification earlier with a win over Libya in its previous outing, but a dramatic 3–3 draw meant the team needed a victory in its final match to confirm its place. The players rose to the occasion in front of their fans.
Dailon Livramento opened the scoring in the 48th minute before Willy Semedo doubled the lead six minutes later. Substitute Stopira, introduced late in the second half, sealed the win in stoppage time to send the island nation into jubilation.
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This qualification marks a historic moment for Cape Verde, a country of less than a million people, whose steady rise in African football has been remarkable.
Cameroon, seen as the favourite in Group D, will now have to wait for a possible lifeline through the playoff route.
Historic tournament taking shape
Next year’s World Cup will be the biggest in history, expanding to 48 teams for the first time. The tournament will run from 11 June to 19 July 2026, across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Cape Verde now joins 21 other nations that have already secured their tickets to North America following months of intense qualification battles across different continents.
The three host nations—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—qualified automatically and will each play group-stage matches on home soil.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINER: How Nigeria can still qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup
From South America, the qualifiers are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay, while Bolivia still has a chance through the intercontinental play-offs.
Asia will be represented by Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Japan, and Australia—with Uzbekistan and Jordan set for their debut World Cup appearances.
From Africa, five countries—Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Ghana—had already booked their tickets before Cape Verde’s historic qualification.
New Zealand will represent Oceania, having confirmed their spot earlier this year.
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