Cape Verde Qualify For First World Cup

Cape Verde have made history by qualifying for their first-ever FIFA World Cup after beating Eswatini 3–0 on Monday in their final Group D match.

The victory in Praia sealed their place at the 2026 tournament and crowned a fairytale campaign for the island nation.

The West African archipelago started the match under pressure but came alive in the second half with goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo, and veteran Stopira. The result put them top of the group with 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held to a goalless draw by Angola.

Cape Verde began the final round two points ahead of Cameroon, a team with eight previous World Cup appearances, the most by any African nation. But their impressive consistency throughout the qualifiers saw them secure top spot and a ticket to North America.

Once considered outsiders, Cape Verde have risen remarkably in recent years. About 25 years ago, the team rarely played international football. Now, they will represent Africa alongside Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Livramento broke the deadlock three minutes after the restart, taking advantage of a defensive error to score from close range. Six minutes later, Semedo added the second with another easy finish. Stopira, 37, who came on as a late substitute to honour his long service since 2008, completed the scoring in stoppage time.

The nation of 600,000 people declared a public holiday for the match, and though the first half was tense, the second half sparked wild celebrations across the islands.

Cape Verde now becomes the second-smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, following Iceland’s appearance in 2018.

Meanwhile, Cameroon face a difficult route to the playoffs after being booed off in Yaoundé, as Angola’s veteran goalkeeper Hugo Marques denied them several scoring chances.