Cape Verde secures first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification

Cape Verde has qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the first time in history, becoming one of the nine African representatives.

The small island nation team defeated Eswatini by 3-0 in their final group match on Monday, October 13 and finished four points ahead of Cameroon in Group D, thus qualifying for the final round.

Cape Verde, which rarely played football some 25 years ago, has now joined Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia in the global football tournament, set to be hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The small African country with nearly 600,000 people has become the second-smallest country to qualify for the World Cup. 

The smallest is Iceland, with a population of nearly 400,000, and it played the tournament in Russia in 2018.

Millions of football fans are eagerly waiting for the nail biting finishes. 48 national teams will compete in 104 matches to claim the title of football champions for the next four years.

The tournament is scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026. 

FIFA has previously unveiled three official mascots for the tournament and recently revealed the official match ball, named ‘Trionda,’ for the 2026 World Cup