Cape Verde are one of the newest countries to appear at the World Cup. Despite showing steady improvement over the last decade, the 2026 edition marks their first participation in the tournament after finally qualifying through the African qualifiers.
Their best-ever World Cup performance is already the current campaign. Cape Verde finished second in Group H after drawing with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, earning enough points to qualify for the Round of 32, where they now face Argentina.
Reaching the knockout stage in their first appearance represents the most important achievement in the country’s soccer history. With a population of nearly 500,000 people, Cape Verde have already exceeded expectations.
Their qualification
Cape Verde had never qualified for a World Cup before 2026. As a relatively new nation that only became independent from Portugal in 1975, their affiliation with FIFA did not come until 1982.
Vozinha is the captain of the team (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Their qualification campaign was built on an impressive run that required only one round, as they earned the group’s only qualification spot by finishing first in a six-team group that included a powerful nation like Cameroon.
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Knowing the second-placed team had to continue competing, Cape Verde were clear winners with 23 points from 10 matches after losing only once. They entered the final match with a two-point lead and secured qualification with a 3-0 victory over Eswatini.
Their 2026 campaign
Cape Verde entered a very difficult group alongside Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia but managed to remain unbeaten. A 0-0 draw with Spain immediately put them in the spotlight and raised hopes of reaching the next round. They followed that with a surprising 2-2 draw against Uruguay before doing enough in the final match to earn another 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, finishing second behind Spain.
