Cape Verde have secured a historic debut at the 2026 World Cup after a 3-0 victory over Eswatini in Praia on Monday. The Blue Sharks topped Group D in African qualifying, leaving Cameroon to rely on the playoffs after a goalless draw with Angola.
With a population of around 525,000, the tiny Atlantic archipelago will become the second-smallest nation by population to feature at a men's World Cup, behind only Iceland in 2018. The team overcame a nervy first half in windy conditions before three second-half goals sealed the win.
Dailon Rocha Livramento opened the scoring three minutes after the break, followed by Willy Semedo's strike six minutes later. Substitute Stopira added a third in stoppage time, sparking celebrations among the 15,000-strong crowd. The result ensured Cape Verde finished top of Group D ahead of Cameroon, who needed a win against Angola and a Cape Verde slip-up but could only draw 0-0 in Yaoundé.
Despite a poor start to the qualifying campaign—a 0-0 draw with Angola, a 4-1 loss in Cameroon, and a win in Eswatini—Cape Verde won five consecutive matches, including crucial away victories over Angola and at home to Cameroon. The team had also failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after winning just one of six matches, but the federation retained faith in long-serving coach Pedro Leitão Brito, known as 'Bubista'.
In Group H, already-qualified Tunisia beat Namibia 3-0, with Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri among the scorers. Namibia finished second but missed out on the playoffs due to a low points tally across all groups. Cape Verde's debut will make them one of the smallest nations ever to compete at a World Cup.
