Today, a historic moment will unfold in the final round of the FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers: Cape Verde, a small Atlantic island nation with a population of just 590,000 and a land area of merely 4,033 square kilometers, will host Eswatini at home. Securing a win in this game will lock in their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, marking a miracle in the country’s football history!
Prior to this, Cape Verde has delivered a stunning performance in the qualifiers: with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, they have accumulated 20 points and sit atop Group D, outperforming traditional African powerhouses such as Cameroon and Libya. Currently, they hold a 2-point lead over second-placed Cameroon. Their opponent, Eswatini, ranks 159th in the world and has yet to secure a single win in 9 matches; for Cape Verde (ranked 70th globally), a victory should be within reach with a normal performance.
If Cape Verde successfully qualifies, it will set two records: becoming the second least populous country to reach the World Cup (after Iceland) and surpassing Trinidad and Tobago to become the smallest country by land area ever to qualify for the World Cup finals. To allow all citizens to share in this grand occasion, the Cape Verdean government has announced a nationwide holiday starting from 12:00 local time on October 13th. All 590,000 citizens will gather to wait and witness the historic moment when their country’s football team steps onto the world stage.
Currently, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Ghana have already secured their spots in the World Cup finals. Cape Verde is now on the verge of adding another "small-nation miracle" to the list of African qualifiers.
