With Just 5 Lakh Population, Cape Verde 2nd Smallest Country To Qualify For FIFA World Cup

 

Asian nations like Uzbekistan and Jordan stunned the football world by qualifying for their first FIFA World Cup by securing a spot in the 2026 edition in the recent round of matches. On Monday, an island off the west coast of Africa added their name to the list as well, becoming the second smallest nation in terms of population to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. The country with a population of around 5,27,000, Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3-0 in the African qualifiers for the marquee tournament.

 

Also, Cape Verde became the sixth nation from Africa after Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana to qualify for the World Cup. The Island is gaining popularity not only because of their qualification to the tournament but also their act of making it to the biggest stage despite having a small pool of talent to choose from a population of only around 5 Lakhs. Iceland was the smallest country when it qualified for the tournament in 2018.

 

The Cape Verde national football team is fondly called the 'Blue Sharks' by fans, and the footballers justified the tag by booking a World Cup Ticket. Roger Milla's country made history by leaving Cameroon four points behind. Cape Verde finished with 23 points from 10 matches in the competition.

 

Cape Verde scored three goals in the second half. Dailon Livramento opened the scoring for the team while Willie Semedo scored another in the 54th minute. Stopira struck another in the back of the net. To qualify for the World Cup, it was necessary to win the last match of the group stage on Monday. In other results of the day, Cameroon drew goalless with Angola. It was a must-win game for Cape Verde, otherwise, Cameroon would have moved ahead on the basis of the goal difference. Cape Verde played their first international match in 1978 and got the FIFA affiliation in 1986. In 2000, they were ranked 182nd, but now they are placed 70th in the global rankings. Also, a national holiday was announced on the matchday. The country made its debut in the African Cup of Nations in 2013.