00:06One of the most incredible stories during qualification for the 2026 World Cup arrived
00:12with the success of the tiny island nation of Cape Verde.
00:18At the time of their qualification, Cape Verde was the smallest country by land area
00:24and the second-least populated country to qualify for the World Cup.
00:29However, the subsequent qualification of Curacao nudged them down both standings.
00:40Cape Verde is a collection of islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
00:57Just over an hour's flight west of the Senegal capital, Dakar.
01:02It was a Portuguese colony from the 15th century until gaining independence in 1975.
01:10The Cape Verde only joined FIFA in 1982 and didn't enter World Cup qualification until 2002.
01:20But progress has been dramatic.
01:22They qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2013 and are now not only regulars
01:30at the biennial event, but two-time quarter-finalists.
01:35Reaching the game's greatest stage is a whole different level of excitement.
01:55The Blue Sharks made it to North America by edging out regional powerhouses Cameroon.
02:01Success was built on a strong defence, one that kept seven clean sheets in ten matches.
02:11Their progress was not confirmed until a final round victory at home to Eswatini, sparking jubilant celebrations.
02:22There are no household names in the Cape Verde squad.
02:26The majority are drawn from the diaspora, with the Portuguese lower leagues a consistent source of talent.
02:33Record cap winner and goal scorer Ryan Mendes is now based in Turkey.
02:39Dylon Livramento, the leading scorer in qualification, is in Italy.
02:46But stick a pin on a map of Europe and there's a chance you will not be far away from
02:51a Cape Verde international.
02:53From Ireland's Shamrock Rovers, to Finland's SJK, to Azerbaijan's Turan Tovus.
03:03The success of Cape Verde is being celebrated worldwide as a demonstration of the rise of African football.
03:11The 2026 World Cup will feature the largest contingent of teams from the continent in the competition's history.
03:18And they will all travel with the confidence gained from Morocco's record-breaking run to the semi-finals four years
03:24ago.
03:25An unprecedented World Cup with nine or ten African countries participating.
03:32All extremely competitive, extremely strong.
03:36Cap Verde for the first time qualifying as well. Great surprise.
03:41I think, well, African teams will be quite successful or very successful at the World Cup.
03:47It shows the depth of talent inside the countries when you think that Cape Verde is 500,000 people and
03:56they played outstanding football.
03:58It shows as well that the African countries are conscious, slowly, of the need of the quality of education.
04:08Cape Verde will be ranked among the greatest outsiders in World Cup history when they take the field on tournament
04:14debut.
04:15But their success is not measured by how close they come to lifting the precious gold trophy.
04:20But simply by contributing to the occasion.
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