In the concluded FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers, Cape Verde defeated Eswatini and secured the top spot in the group, officially qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup USA-Canada-Mexico finals.
Ranked 70th in the world currently, Cape Verde’s World Cup qualification has broken multiple historical records. With a land area of only 4,033 square kilometers—roughly two-thirds the size of Shanghai—Cape Verde has surpassed Trinidad and Tobago to become the country with the smallest land area in World Cup history. Meanwhile, with a population of less than 600,000, it ranks as the second least populous participating nation in World Cup history, second only to Iceland at the 2018 World Cup.
Cape Verde’s journey in this qualifying campaign was highly impressive. Facing two African powerhouses, Cameroon and Libya, in the same group, Cape Verde claimed 7 points in four head-to-head matches, which enabled them to finish first in the group.
Cape Verde’s national team made their first World Cup qualifying appearance in 2000, and it took them only 25 years to qualify for the World Cup finals. In 2011, the team was ranked 162nd in the world; over 14 years, they have improved their world ranking by 92 places.
