The Cape Verde Islands stand just one victory away from achieving a footballing milestone that would have seemed unimaginable two decades ago — a place at the FIFA World Cup. The tiny island nation, home to roughly 600,000 people, could become the second smallest country after Iceland to qualify for the global tournament if they win one of their final two qualifying matches in the coming week.
Cape Verde will first travel to face Libya on Wednesday before returning home to meet Eswatini on Monday. Victory in either match will secure them the top spot in Group D, ensuring automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in North America — ahead of African powerhouse Cameroon.
This potential triumph marks a remarkable transformation for a nation once considered footballing minnows. In 2014, Cape Verde came agonisingly close to a World Cup playoff berth before being deducted points for fielding a suspended player. They had reached the final round of qualifiers and were just two games away from Brazil 2014 when administrative error ended their campaign.
Cape Verde’s rise first caught continental attention during their maiden appearance at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, where they advanced to the quarterfinals. Their spirited performances and emotional celebrations, including their coach’s impromptu singing during a post-match press conference, captured hearts across Africa. They repeated that feat at the 2024 AFCON in Ivory Coast, narrowly bowing out on penalties in another impressive run.
Yet, the nation’s footballing journey has been one of extraordinary perseverance. When Cape Verde joined FIFA in 1986, they played barely two international games per year. By 1990, they entered World Cup qualifying for the first time, ranked 182nd globally. Since then, consistent progress — driven by a visionary strategy to tap into the Cape Verdean diaspora — has transformed the team into one of Africa’s most inspiring football stories.
Diaspora Strategy Driving Success
According to U.S.-based football agent Tony Araujo, who was born in Cape Verde and has worked with the national team for decades, the turning point came through a global search for hidden talent.
“The football association devised new strategies around identifying and recruiting talent throughout the large Cape Verdean communities,” Araujo explained. “The talent identification and global recruitment process started to pay off huge dividends around 2013, when they qualified for their first Cup of Nations final.”
Because of the islands’ scarce natural resources and dry terrain, Cape Verde has a long history of migration dating back to Portuguese colonial times. Large diaspora communities emerged in Portugal, the United States — particularly along the eastern seaboard, and in European cities like Rotterdam. Today, the national team reflects this global spread.
The current squad includes six Dutch-born players and several others born in Portugal, France, and Ireland. Among them is Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto “Pico” Lopes, whose recruitment story stands out for its unusual beginnings.
“I set up a LinkedIn profile when I was in college but never really looked at it,” Lopes told Reuters. “I got a message from the then coach Rui Aguas, but he wrote to me in Portuguese. I thought it was spam and took no notice.
“Then about nine months later, he messaged me back, saying, ‘Hi Roberto, have you had a chance to consider what I said to you?’ I copied the message into Google Translate. And it basically said that, ‘we’re looking at getting new players into the Cape Verde squad and would you be interested in declaring for Cape Verde?’ I was absolutely buzzing with that! I was like, ‘yep, 100% I’d love to be a part of the squad,’” he recalled enthusiastically.
Winning Brings Recognition and Renewed Interest
In years past, convincing European-based players with Cape Verdean roots to represent the island nation proved difficult. However, Araujo noted that the team’s recent achievements have reversed that trend.
“But with new waves of recent success, a lot more European-based talents are inclined to choose Cape Verde to showcase their talents at the international level,” he said.
Cape Verde’s impressive 1–0 victory over Cameroon last month sparked jubilant celebrations across the archipelago, a sign of how deeply football success resonates in the country. While their upcoming fixture against Libya in Tripoli is expected to be challenging, optimism remains high that they will complete their fairytale qualification at home against Eswatini.
For a nation once ranked among FIFA’s lowest, Cape Verde’s rise encapsulates the power of vision, resilience, and global unity. Should they secure qualification, it would not only mark a new chapter in the nation’s sporting history but also serve as a beacon of hope for small nations worldwide, proving that passion, strategy, and belief can indeed conquer the odds.
