Cape Verde seal historic debut place at World Cup 2026 and deny Cameroon
Cape Verde have booked their place as debutants at the 2026 World Cup after a 3-0 home victory over Eswatini secured top spot in their African qualifying group.
With a population of around 525,000, the tiny Atlantic island nation will become the second-smallest country by population to play at a men’s World Cup finals, behind only Iceland, who qualified in 2018.
The Blue Sharks overcame a nervous first 45 minutes amid windy conditions in Praia, with three second-half goals ensuring they topped Group D ahead of Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions needed to beat Angola and hope Cape Verde slipped up, but could only draw their game 0-0 in Yaoundé and must now hope to progress via the playoffs.